15 Lives On
by Hawks19Fan88
Summary: This story starts a month after the series finale ends. With the platoon still mostly intact, the squad moves on with their new positions and partners. What changes await?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue or any of its characters. The following is a work of pure fiction and, additionally, any resemblance to real-life people or events is purely coincidental. The cover picture for this story belongs to RookieBlueScenes.

This is my first FanFiction and I hope you enjoy and please comment suggestions or thoughts. Thanks!

P.S. I'm rating this as 'M' just in case.

* * *

Sam and Andy walked in to 15 together on a sunny morning. To Sam, every morning seemed sunny when he got to wake up next to McNally and call her his wife. _His wife_. There were two words Sam had never imagined himself putting together in terms of his own relationships. Then McNally came along, tackled him in an alley, and threw his whole damn world for a spin.

He kissed Andy as she went in to the locker rooms and he went to his desk in the D's office. When he sat down he placed a call to confirm his reservation for 2 that night at _Buca_ , a fancy Italian restaurant. With that complete, he started in the case files signed over from the previous shift. With Nash being promoted to Detective Sergeant and moved upstairs to Guns and Gangs Sam had taken on a new partner. Or rather, a partner-in-training. He glanced down into the squad room to notice said partner walking his way from the locker rooms. Epstein had probably just said goodbye to Chloe at the locker rooms in a way not too dissimilar from how Sam had said it to Andy.

"How ya doin'?" Sam inquired when Dov sat down at his desk across from Sam.

"I'm good, Swarek. Got anything special planned for the one-month anniversary?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Sam said with a slight grin. "I got us reservations at _Buca_."

"That's a great place. Does she know?"

"She probably figures I've got something planned but I haven't let on what."

"She'll love it, that's for sure."

Dov was only a month into his 6-month training rotation with the D's but he and Sam already had a good bond built up. Sam knew Dov was instrumental in proving Oliver innocence and stuck his neck on the line multiple times in doing so. Sam would never forget that.

"Yeah, well, only the best for the best," Sam replied while watching Andy cross the squad room to Parade. She looked up and they shared a smile.

Andy filed into Parade behind Gail and took a seat on the back table. She spotted her rookie, Hannah Connor, sitting in the first row. Oliver walked in the side door at the front and called Parade to order from the podium. He went through the usual spiel of general announcements and assignments. At the end he requested Andy and Connor stop by his office. Andy checked the board for her and Connor's car assignment. She didn't see her name or Connor's anywhere on the board, not even for desk or booking duty. Then they went upstairs to Staff's office.

Oliver asked for Andy to come in individually first so Connor took a seat outside his office.

"Here's the deal," Oliver began. "B platoon needs another body so we need to send over one of our rookies. They wanted to take a more senior officer but I told them I can't do it since we just lost Collins. I've talked to Jarvis and after going over your reports we've determined that Connor has performed the best out of the three so she is the one getting moved. I'm sorry McNally, but the only way to make it work was to send our best rookie."

Andy understood but didn't try to hide her disappointment. "I get it sir, it's politics."

"Right, so I need you to do a final write up on Connor to send with her for her ne TO."

"I'll get right on it."

"Okay, let's bring Connor in."

Andy opened the door and asked Connor to join them. Before she went back into Staff's office she looked over at Sam at his desk to find him staring back at her.

"Something's up with McNally and her rook," Sam commented, semi-worried, after seeing the look on his wife's face.

"Huh?" Dov glanced up from his computer and then towards Oliver's office when he saw Sam's gaze. "Could be anything. Connor seems like good police material, not another Duncan situation."

Sam appreciated Epstein attempting to reassure him but he still felt uneasy knowing that his wife was upset and he was unable to help. "I'll be back," Sam said, getting up and walking over to Oliver's office.

"Take your time," Dov said to his back.

When Sam got to the door the meeting had just broken up and he held the door open for Connor to leave, her face not betraying anything. Andy came out next. "Hey, Sweetheart. What's happening?" Sam noticed she wasn't sad or worried, just disappointed. He was able to relax a little.

"Politics. Connor is getting moved to B platoon, they need a body."

"Why take a rookie?"

"They didn't want to but Oliver convinced Jarvis that we could lose a senior officer so soon after Nick left."

"So he had to give them the best rookie, I get it."

"Yeah, so now I have to write a final report for her new TO and then he said I can spend the day with you and Dov helping out with whatever you got going."

"Well, I may not like the circumstances leading you there but I'm happy to have you for the day," Sam said caringly.

They kissed briefly before she headed to her desk in the squad room to write her report.

Sam knocked on Oliver's door and his best friend and best man motioned him to enter.

"Hey brother, I'm sorry about how this played out but my hands are tied on this one."

"Yeah, no worries. We get it, just bummed about it."

"I understand, which is why I told McNally she can work with you today."

"I appreciate that. I just think we have to figure out something for her here. After the Duncan fiasco, successfully training a rookie would have been big for her. Even though this one is not her fault or anything, well, you know McNally and how she overanalyzes everything."

"Yeah, we both do." The both shared a slight grin. "Listen Sammy, I'll talk to Jarvis again and see if there is anything I can come up with."

"Thanks brother," Sam turned around to walk back to his desk

"They're moving Andy's rookie to B platoon." Sam settled back in his desk, rubbing his eyes. She's sort of bummed about it. Anyway, after she submits her final report to Oliver she is going to be spending the day helping us out."

"Well then," Dov indicated the waiting case files, "I guess we better get started in on this."

"What is it, a new case?"

"Yeah, Detective Anderson dropped it off while you were talking to Shaw. She wanted us to lend a hand if we could with some of the angles, that's all she told me."

"A homicide I'm assuming."

"That would be my guess. She said she was bringing in the victim's parents to talk to."

An hour later, Sam and Dov had begun piecing out the details of a stabbing that happened early that morning. Mary Daniels, a second year associate at a corporate law firm downtown was stabbed while out for a jog. The attack happened in a wooded area and she was dumped into the bushes along the path. She was found unconscious and suffering from major blood loss by a man out walking his dog. He called 911, and she died on the way to the hospital. The responding officers found no conclusive evidence and the caller stated that he saw nobody go past him. Anderson had been there and the only thing she added was that the victim's phone was missing.

"So, basically, the scene is cold," Dov summarized.

It was just about then that McNally walked up the stairs to the D's office. "Hey guys," she said, trying to appear her usual upbeat self. Sam filled her in on what he and Dov had.

"Okay, so we should talk to family, friends, and co-workers and see if anything turns up," Andy said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "that's what we came up with as the best place to start too. Detective Anderson is waiting for her parents to come in, a James and Martha Daniels. They live in Windsor. Why don't I take Andy and go to her law firm and check in on recent cases, should be plenty of motive there. Epstein, take Price and stop by her apartment. The file shows an address with her name and a Casey Lake on it. See if he or she knows anything."

"Sure thing." Dov pulled out his phone and called Chloe as he walked to the armory to get his gun.

"I'm just going to stop by Anderson's office and let her know what we're doing. Then I'll get my gun and meet you at the car."

Andy nodded and walked out to the parking lot. The day may not have started off great for her but she still got to work with her best friends and the man she loved doing what she loved. She would always be grateful for that.


	2. Chapter 2

Quick A/N: In certain chapters, such as this one, I will be focusing on characters other than Sam and Andy. I feel that all of the characters have good things to offer to a story and I want to give them all attention. Don't worry, Sam and Andy will be the main focus of the larger story.

* * *

Dov and Chloe pulled up in front of the apartment The victim shared with a roommate. Chloe killed the engine and followed Dov up the steps to the door. Dov pressed the button next to the names ' _Lake/Daniels_ '. A moment later a pleasant sounding female voice came back at them.

"Yes?"

"Casey Lake? This is Detective Epstein and Officer Price from 15 Division. May we come in a speak with you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," the pleasantness all but lost.

The door buzzed and Dov held it open and followed Chloe inside. Dov went to knock on the door but Ms. Lake opened it just as he was raising his fist. She motioned them inside to a small kitchen. Of to the right was a living room and a hallway that presumably led to bedrooms and a bathroom.

"What can I do for you, officers?"

"Why don't we have a seat in the living room?" Dov suggested.

Casey was clearly uncomfortable but complied. She sat in an easy chair while Dov and Chloe sat to her right on a couch.

"We're here about your roommate," Dov said.

"Mary? What did she do?"

"She was murdered this morning. We believe she was out for a jog based on the location and what she was wearing."

Dov wasn't sure if that last part got through because Casey broke down as soon as the first sentence hit her. Chloe got up to go the kitchen and get a glass of water for her. Dov waited until she had taken a few sips and somewhat re-composed herself before he started in on his line of questioning.

"Ms. Lake, I know this must be hard on you and a shock but we could really use your help, if you could answer some questions."

Casey nodded slightly but said nothing.

"When was the last time you saw Mary?"

She took a couple deep breaths to steady herself. "Yesterday afternoon around 1:30. We met up for lunch at this diner just down the block from her firm."

Dov wrote down the name and address for the timeline. "And where did she go after that?"

"Back to work, she was always working, sometimes 60 hour weeks. Long nights in the library researching, or at her desk writing legal stuff. I don't understand most of it."

"Do you know if she came home last night?"

Casey shook her head. "I was working late last night, I'm a nurse at Memorial. I left here at 4 and I got in at 3, her door was shut and I assumed she was in there. And in the mornings she's always quiet. She goes for a run, comes back, showers, changes, then heads of too work. She never wakes me."

Dov jotted Mary's basic routine. "I'm sorry, I have to ask this. Where you and Mary in a relationship or just friends?"

"No relationship, just friends." Casey replied quickly

"This might sound odd, but, did Mary have a cell phone?"

"Of course she does, doesn't everyone?"

"We figured, but had to ask because we didn't find one on her."

"You said she was jogging when…", Casey choked up, unable to finish the thought.

"Yes, she was jogging," Chloe supplied.

Casey regained herself and said, "She always has her phone. She has all of her music on it, she plays it when she goes for her runs. She definitely would have had it on her this morning."

"Do you mind if we check her room?" Dov asked. "Just to make sure she didn't leave it behind by accident."

"Yeah, I don't see why not." Casey got up and slowly led them down the hallway to the first room on the left behind the kitchen. She went to knock on the door before catching herself. The door opened into a well-kept room with a single window on the far wall. Casey walked over to the bed stand on the other side of the room. "This is where it would be, here's the charging chord."

"Can we get her phone number from you?"

Casey called up her contacts app and handed her phone to Dov.

"Do you know anything about this?" Chloe was at Mary's desk holding up a picture of a guy. On it was a sticky-note that had a single word written across it, or rather a name. "Who's Drew?"

Dov handed Casey her phone back and they walked over to Chloe.

"I've never seen him before," Casey said. The man was Hispanic, with the top of a tattoo sticking out of his collar and reaching slightly up the right side of his neck. He looked to be in his late 30s.

Did Mary ever mention anybody named 'Drew' to you?" Dov asked.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "It could have something to do with her work, she didn't talk too much about that."

"What kind of law did she practice?"

"She doesn't do a lot of trial work, mostly research and trial prep. But it's always business-like stuff."

You mean like corporate law, contracts, that kind of thing?"

Casey nodded.

"Could she have been doing some pro bono work on the side?"

"I guess so, she used to work at some legal clinics sometimes, before she landed with the firm. That was before I knew her though."

"Do you mind if we take this photo?"

"Sure, if you think it will help."

"Thanks." Chloe bagged the photo and Dov wrote down some info in his notebook and looked back up. "One last question, how did Mary get to and from work?"

"Public Transit. There's a bus stop 2 blocks down from here."

Dov took a note to check for surveillance footage.

They walked back to the kitchen and Dov thanked Ms. Lake for all her help. "Forensics and some lab people will come by to go over her room and take some stuff, like her computer." He also gave her his card and asked her to call him if she remembered anything else. She said she would and Dov and Chloe left. Back in the car Dov said, "Let's head back to 15. I'll call Swarek, update him, and then check in with Detective Anderson back at the station."

Dov pulled out his phone and began to dial as Chloe pulled away from the curb.


	3. Chapter 3

Andy and Sam were just exiting the law firm Mary Daniels worked for when Sam's phone started chirping. He shifted the files he was holding to his other hand and answered the call.

"Swarek."

Andy tried to hear what was being said through the phone but the downtown commotion was too much.

"Okay, we didn't get much except some coworker testimonials. Let's meet back at 15 and get together with Anderson and try to put something together."

Sam tapped off. "That was Epstein, he and Price got some stuff from the roommate."

"That's good. Hopefully Anderson has gotten some info from the parents."

They got in Sam's unmarked squad car and headed back toward 15. When they arrived, Andy made a stop in the lounge to get coffee for her and Sam and then met him at his desk.

"Thanks Honey," Sam said when she set the hot beverage down for him. He stood up and gave her a quick kiss.

Dov walked in shortly after that and sat down at his desk. "I stopped by Anderson's office, she said she'd be right up." Sure enough, Frankie came up the stairs just then. Andy leaned on the desk behind Sam and Frankie leaned on the desk pair across from Sam and Dov's. They each went over the key findings from their respective interviews. In the end they were able to determine that they had nothing concrete. Her job provided plenty of motive but her recent case files didn't point to any likely suspect. The parents lived out of town and therefore didn't have much of a feel for their Daughter's day-to-day life. Dov had initiated a trace on her phone number but that had come back empty so it was either off or destroyed. The phone records were still coming through and Dov had them tapped to go straight to Frankie. Chloe was checking surveillance footage from near the bus stop down the street from the apartment to establish about what time Mary got home. And nobody had any clue how or even if the photo of Drew was connected. Or if the guy's name was even Drew.

"So, basically, we got shit to go on right now." Everyone sort of shrugged, unable to deny it. "Well, thanks for the help guys," Franke said. "I'm still kind of swamped from taking on the load from the Peck fiasco. So, really, I appreciate it. I'll take it from here, let you know if anything develops. I'll bump this photo up to Nash, see if she's got anything on this 'Drew' guy."

"We could stay and help you out some more," Sam offered. "At least try to get a more thorough timeline if not a working theory."

"Nah, your shift's over, wouldn't want to keep you from your evenings." She gave a sly wink to Sam and walked out.

Sam smiled to himself. Of course Frankie would remember it was his and Andy's one-month anniversary. It was, after all, also the one-month anniversary for her and Gail in whatever sort of relationship they had. From what Dov had surmised, it was mostly about the sex.

Andy stood up and said, "I guess I'll go change out. Be back in 10."

Dov logged out of his computer and wished Sam and Andy a good night before heading out.

Sam checked his watch, just after 7. Plenty of time to get to the restaurant. Then he opened up his bottom desk drawer and pocketed the small box that was hidden under a stack of folders. One more surprise that only he knew about. He still had some time before Andy would be back so he walked over to Oliver's office to thank him for letting Andy work with him that shift.

"Don't mention it, Brother. I felt bad about this morning too and thought what could I do to make her feel better. Also, talked to Jarvis, and I think we came up with something. There is going to be a sergeant position opening up on this platoon. Campbell is retiring at the end of November. We'd like to promote Andy to that position. Obviously she needs to go through the proper channels though. Take the test, apply, interview, et cetera. Obviously we can't just pick her but she'll get it if she does those steps."

"Wow that's great, Oliver, she'll be thrilled."

"Right, just one more caveat. She can't know about any of this. She has to go through this process not knowing what Jarvis, me, and now you, know. In fact, I probably shouldn't have even told you, but I trust you to keep this on lock. Otherwise both of our asses are in the sling."

"My lips are sealed."

"Good, now it's on you to get her there. Nudge her in that direction."

"I can do that."

"That's what I like to hear, now, you kids go enjoy your night."

"See you tomorrow, Brother."

Sam got back to his desk to find Andy waiting for him. "Ready to go, beautiful?"

"Yeah, I'm starving. I could really go for Pizza."

Sam grinned as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and walked with her out of the Station. "You don't say?"

It didn't take long for Andy figure out that Sam wasn't driving to the Penny or home. "Where are you taking me, detective?"

"You said you were hungry, didn't you? Well, it just so happens that I have reservations for us."

"The last time you said that, we ended up eating pizza in bed."

Sam looked over and smiled at her then pulled the trunk over in front of a valet stand and got out. He walked around and handed his keys to the valet and opened Andy's door and helped her out.

Andy looked up at the restaurant in front of her. "Well, Detective Swarek, I stand corrected." They kissed deeply and then Sam led her in to _Buca_.

* * *

After the romantic dinner, they sat finishing off the bottle of wine they had ordered. "That's going to be tough to top every month," Andy remarked, smiling.

Sam pulled the small box out of his pocket. "In that case, maybe I should save this for next time." Sam let the tease hang for a bit before handing the box to her.

Andy opened the box and her heart melted. It was a silver chain with two intertwined silver hearts. One heart said 'Andria' and the other said 'Samuel'. The intersection of the two hearts was graced with their wedding date.

"Sam this is beautiful, I love it."

Sam stood up and walked around the table to stand behind his wife. He put the necklace around her neck and latched it. Andy looked up and they kissed again.

When they broke off she said, "I love you Sam Swarek."

"I love you Andy McNally."

The drive home was thankfully short and both of them were already tugging at the other's clothes before the door was completely shut. Sam shrugged off his shirt and picked Andy up. He carried Andy up the stairs, into their bedroom and on to the bed, both of them trailing clothes the whole way.

* * *

The next day was a Saturday that they both had off. Sam had arranged with Marlo to take Mia for the day while Marlo packed. She had accepted a job in Hamilton and was moving there the following weekend. Sam was a bit upset to have his daughter move out of the city, although Hamilton wasn't too far and he could still see her with relative ease anytime he wanted to.

Andy, on the other hand was a little bit happy that Marlo was leaving town. It was nothing personal anymore, she just wanted to have her life with Sam and not have to worry about his past hanging around him more than necessary. She, too, would miss Mia. Andy's love for the child was second only to the love she'd feel for her own children someday. And Sam of course.

As Sam drove over to Marlo's, Andy was pondering that future with Sam. Kids, a nice house and yard, cookouts and parties with friends and family. It was the life she had always dreamed of and now she had the man of her dreams by her side.

They both had a blast watching over Mia, who was just a couple months old now. She always put a smile on both of their faces. Often times Sam would sit down and admire how Andy was with Mia, and picture her with their children. He couldn't wait. When Mia was around, Sam and Boo would get thrown on Andy's back burner sometimes. Sam didn't mind and he suspected Boo didn't either so long as he still got some attention eventually.

As the day drew to a close and they had dropped Mia back off with Marlo, the Swareks settled in on the couch and flipped through the TV. They landed on the news which was previewing the Maple Leafs' chances for the upcoming season. In short, not good. But if they tanked well enough there was a promising American playing in Switzerland that would be draft eligible in the spring.

"Only one more year," Sam said with fake enthusiasm. He'd believe it when he saw it.

Andy giggled. "Today was great Sam."

"Not as good as last night," Sam suggested with a wink.

"I can't wait for kids of our own."

"I don't know," Sam threw on some mock jealously. "Me and Boo were pretty lonely over here when you were playing with Mia."

Andy smiled and shook her head at him. "I'm serious Sam."

"I understand, I want that too. I was only kidding." The kissed passionately, longingly, until they had to break for air.

"Speaking of future plans," Sam began, "how do you feel about the sergeant's exam?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: The position Andy is studying for is that of a Sergeant, not Staff Sergeant. Sergeant is the next level up from Andy' current rank of Constable according to the Toronto Police rank structure, a logical progression. Basically, it puts her in a patrol supervisory roll above a regular officer but still below detectives and obviously Staff Sergeants. I apologize if there was any confusion and hopefully this clears it up.

* * *

Andy rolled over, away from the bright light streaming in through the window. She reached out to find a warm spot next to her. Sam must have gotten up. She glanced over at the clock on her bed stand. _7:12_. She stretched some before getting up and finding the house empty. On the counter, she found a note from Sam.

 _Took Boo for a walk, be back in 20_ -S.

He had written _7:00_ at the bottom of the note so he should be back soon. Andy went to start some coffee and opened the fridge to contemplate breakfast possibilities. Sam walked in with Boo halfway through her debate between pancakes or omelets. Sam moved to give Andy a good morning kiss but Boo beat him there.

"Good morning sweetheart," Sam said once Boo had got his fill. They kissed and lingered in the moment. When the broke Sam went over to Boo Radley's food and poured some into his bowl. Andy poured 2 cups of coffee and asked him what he wanted to eat.

"Pancakes sound great, hon. What do you need me to do?"

Andy smiled, she loved that Sam was always willing to help with cooking. He was also very good at it, better than her even.

By the time breakfast was over, they had an hour to drop Boo off at his sitter's and get to work. Sam had court today so he dropped her off in front of the station and drove off towards the courthouse. It had been 3 months since Connor had been reassigned and Andy had settled back into her role as patrol officer. The Daniels case had gone cold and Sam had talked her into taking the sergeant's exam to get it off of her mind. So, she had been studying for that in her off hours. Most days she found herself partnered with Chloe and Price liked to quiz her in between calls. She was scheduled to take the exam next weekend and was feeling confident.

That particular day, Chloe was working booking and Andy found herself riding solo. She didn't mind it but Sam always worried a bit more. Andy didn't mind that either, she appreciated Sam's attachment and realized that his worry was for him as much as her. He couldn't live if something happened to her.

She had just arrived on scene for a call to assist detectives at a possible murder scene. That probably meant canvassing the neighborhood. Since the scene is in the middle of a gang-infested neighborhood, it was unlikely that anything would come from said canvassing. However, since gang involvement was almost a given, Traci might be on scene and that was enough to make Andy respond to the call eagerly.

She parked at the curb behind a couple of unmarked squad cars and walked under the crime scene tape and into the house. The house was shabby as was to be expected and smelled of spoiled food. Not to mention the smell a dead body brought about. A detective Andy didn't recognize stepped out of a room to her left, he was probably from Homicide or Guns and Gangs. "Hi, I'm Officer McNally, I took the call to assist the detectives on scene."

He pointed down the hallway across from them and said, "Down there." He walked out of the house without offering his name. Andy shrugged and walked down the hallway and heard voices in the last room on the right. She poked her head in to find Nash and Anderson squatted over a body that was completely covered except for his head by a yellow crime scene sheet. There was also someone from the forensics lab taking notes.

"Detectives?"

"Hey Andy," Traci stood up and acknowledged her best friend.

"Does this guy ring any bells, McNally?", Frankie asked without preamble.

"No, not really. Should he?"

Frankie tilted the victim's head to the side so Andy could see the neck better. There was no doubt that he was the guy in the photo from the lawyer's apartment. The tattoo was very apparent. As was the single gunshot wound in his forehead.

"The guy from the photo in the Daniels case." Andy said

"Ding, Ding", Frankie pulled the yellow sheet up over his head.

On the other side of the sheet was a subcompact Glock, the same model that detectives in the service carried. Andy wasn't close enough to tell if the caliber was the same. "Suicide?", Andy asked.

"It looks that way but-," Traci began

"It's not. It's homicide," Frankie said point blank.

"His real name is Enrique Rojas, member of Los Viboras," Traci said. We also found a blood-stained knife. It's on its way back to the lab for testing but I'm willing to bet on the results. It's the Daniel's murder weapon. And it's got a good set of prints on the handle. We all know who those will belong to," she said jerking a thumb behind her toward Rojas.

"So, this guy killed her?", Andy Asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. If not, whoever killed him wants us to think so."

"Ok," Andy nodded. "So, what do you need me to do?"

You're going to come with me and go through this guy's background and see if anything rings familiar with you from the other case. Also, I need a ride back to 15.

* * *

Traci was dissecting the file they had on Mr. Rojas. He had been arrested a few times for possession, once with intent. He was also a suspect in a B&E but the detective on the case couldn't make anything stick. He had no record on file from other jurisdictions so Traci was willing to bet that he'd been here is whole life. His childhood addresses were all foster homes, no mention of biological parents. Traci sighed, she had seen to many gang bangers with files very similar to this. So far though, she had found nothing to connect Rojas to Mary Daniels, the murdered lawyer.

Andy was cross-refencing the Law firm Mary worked at with Los Viboras. So far nothing was coming up. They were both getting tired of the dead ends and dissipating leads. She stood up and said, "I'm gonna go downstairs and get some coffee, you want anything?"

"Yeah, I'll take a coffee, too."

"2 coffees coming up."

Andy stepped into the lounge and found Epstein returning something to the fridge.

"Hey Dov, remember Drew?"

"Yeah, I heard about that. Found dead today. You working it?"

"Detective Anderson is working the actual homicide, I'm helping Traci try to find a connection between Mary Daniels' death and Enrique Rojas'."

"So, Drew is really an Enrique. At least with his real name you should be able to build a history. There's got to be a connection somewhere. It's a pretty strange coincidence if not."

"Yeah, that's what we're working on. Traci is reading into him personally and I'm cross-referencing his name and gang against records at Mary's law firm. So far, we got nothing"

"What about the clinics?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mary Daniels worked for some legal clinics before she landed at the big firm. If she ever came in contact with a guy like Rojas, I'd bet it would be there."

"Do you have the names of these clinics."

"Uh, no. But I made a note to get the names. Then Detective Anderson took it over."

"Let's go see if she has them." They walked out of the lounge to the office that used to be Luke's.

They found Frankie on the phone and she held up a finger to them indicating to wait a moment. Shortly she hung up and addressed them. "That was ballistics. They got a match for the slug the M.E. pulled from Rojas. Matches a bullet pulled from the wall at a pawn shop B&E about a year ago."

"So who's the suspect?", Andy asked.

"Enrique Rojas."


	5. Chapter 5

"So, our D.B. is the only suspect in a B&E and now he kills himself with the weapon that places him at the scene?" Dov asked rhetorically. He and Andy were talking to Detective Anderson, trying to track down the names of some legal clinics that Ms. Daniels may have worked or volunteered some time at. "What happened with the investigation, Rojas clearly wasn't convicted?"

"Wasn't even charged," Frankie Said. "Detective couldn't make it stick, not enough evidence to issue a warrant."

"Who had the gun?", Dov asked.

"As the story goes the owner was in the back room counting money out of the safe when he heard the shatter of glass from one of the front windows. He grabbed the gun he kept back there and went into the main room. He was jumped by a man, a struggle ensued for the gun, a single round was fired and embedded in the wall. The assailant eventually gained control of the weapon and ran off with it."

"So how did Rojas become the prime suspect?", asked Andy.

"Description from the owner, he claims to have seen the tattoo on Rojas' neck during the scuffle."

"But there was no DNA evidence," Dov guessed.

"Correct, which is strange to see in a physical altercation. Also, there were no pictures or video of the event or of rojas around the shop's area at the time in question. And now Rojas winds up dead from apparent suicide by the gun from that case and is implicated in the Daniels murder at the same time and can't defend himself in either. Pretty convenient."

"Where is that detective stationed now?", asked Dov.

"27 Division."

"Okay, this is all fascinating, but how does it connect to Mary Daniels?", Andy asked.

"The pawn shop owner's name was Andrew Walsh. He was the 911 caller from the Daniels murder. He found her body."

"We got to bring him in," Dov said. "Go over his statement again, see if we can poke any holes in it.

"We will, but there are some ends to tie up first. Listen to this. Walsh's son died of a drug overdose 3 years ago. The drugs came through Los Viboras. And Slint was the detective assigned to that case as well. Again, couldn't pin anything on anyone in particular but Walsh was convinced it was Rojas. Slint even wrote down that Walsh suggested he would do his own investigating and had talked to a legal clinic about what he would legally be able to do and what evidence he would need to find, since the police couldn't do anything about it. If Walsh turns out to be the guy like it is looking he might, I want to have all the ammo to use against him as possible. We need to track down the legal clinics, see what's what there. And talk to Detective Slint and get his take on Walsh."

"That's actually sort of why we stopped in," Andy said. "Did you get the names of the legal clinics that Mary Daniels worked at? We thought there may have been a connection there. Now, I'm almost certain."

Uh, yeah. I'll email those to Nash. Work that with her, talk to the clinics and find out what you can. Also, could you track down the addresses for Walsh and Slint and send them to me?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Cool, Epstein, you doing anything?"

"Not really, Swarek's in court today."

"Alright, you and I are going to talk to evidence and confirm as much as we can about the ballistics test from the B&E. This whole thing is too convenient for my liking."

* * *

Andy went back upstairs and walked over to Traci. "Traci…"

"What took you so long?", Traci asked turning around. "And where's my coffee?"

"Forget about that…," Andy filled her in on what she had learned. "Traci, there is way too much linked together here for this to all be a coincidence. We have to press this."

"I agree. I'll call up these legal clinics and see if I can get anywhere, might take some time though so I probably won't get anything until after lunch.

Andy looked down at her watch not realizing that it was after noon. She was supposed to meet Sam for lunch while his trial was on recess." Okay, I'm going to meet up with Sam for lunch. Give me a call if something breaks and I'll be right back." With that, Andy hustled downstairs and went out to the parking lot.

Traci turned back to her computer and looked up Slint first knowing he'd be in the system since he was a retired cop. Sure, enough an address got returned to her within seconds. She jotted it down and initiated the search on Walsh. She noted the listed address and found the house was indeed owned by a Walsh, Andrew. She entered the information into an email and sent it to Frankie. With that done, she turned attention to the legal clinics and did a location search for both of them. The second was only a half-mile from Walsh's house. She called the clinic and got the run-around about privileged information and needing subpoenas. Eventually she got to talk to a boss who said he'd release any information he could, given the circumstances, so long as her boss signed a letter for their records. Another tangle of bureaucratic red tape broken through, she mused to herself as she headed down to talk to Oliver.

* * *

Frankie and Dov were at headquarters talking to the evidence department. The person working the desk, whose name tag said 'Nancy', had nothing to add to the puzzle. "So how could you have ballistics results if you didn't have the gun to fire for a comparison after the first incident?", Frankie asked, a little bothered.

" _I_ couldn't have. Somebody else, I don't know. Maybe the lab identified the barreling marks on the round."

"We don't mean to accuse you or anything," Dov tried to soothe the situation. "We're simply asking for confirmation that you couldn't get an 100% accurate reading without the gun."

"I like you better," she said turning in her chair to face Dov directly. Frankie rolled her eyes. "My guess would be that the first bullet was analyzed and a high-res photo was stored in the system. Then, since that case went unsolved, it was put in to the cold case box and stored away. Then, when the second bullet comes in, it gets scanned in and the system picks out the similarities between the two. And now the lab has the gun so they fire a test round and compare all three and confirm they were fired by the same weapon."

Frankie huffed and turned to walk out.

"Thanks for your time, ma'am," Dov said and hurried to catch up to Frankie who was walking and reading from her phone. "Where to next?"

Frankie spoke without looking up. We call over to 27 and see if Slint is on duty. If he is, we go over there and talk to him. If not, Nash got me the address of his house.

* * *

Andy met up with Sam at a diner down the street from the courthouse. Andy took a moment to appreciate Sam dressed up in a suit, it didn't happen all that often. But, when it did, the view was nice. They both ordered a burger and lemonade and caught each other up on their day. Waiting in a courtroom to be called as a witness was less exciting then sounded so Andy's day dominated the conversation

"How does killing Rojas with that gun implicate him in the stabbing of Mary Daniels? I mean, I know he had the knife but that could have been planted. Why would he keep the murder weapon?", Andy asked around a bite of her burger.

"It doesn't. But it does implicate him in the pawn shop B&E which in turn establishes a record of a violent offender. The leap to armed robber in a park, especially as a gangbanger, is not a big one. Especially when he is found with the murder weapon. I have no idea why he'd keep the knife. It's suspicious."

"Are you suggesting he was framed?"

"Not necessarily, what I'm suggesting is that if it appears that he killed Mary Daniels, which having in his possession the murder weapon with his prints on it does, most cops would look to closely into what happened to a murderer and documented gang member. They would chalk it up to suicide, lay the Daniels murder on him, call it a win, and be home for dinner."

"Yeah, well, unfortunately for him or them or whoever killed Rojas, the wrong cops caught this case." Andy said. "I think we need to bring Walsh in but Frankie said everything we have is too circumstantial-"

"It is. You couldn't hold him on it. She's right. You need to check all the leads and build a case against him."

"I just have this gut feeling he's the guy and I hate that he's out there. Planning, running, whatever." Andy was about to say something else but her phone rang. "It's Traci," she said before answering it. "Yeah Trace, what's up? … Uh-huh … Really? … Okay, I'm heading back now."

"I got to go," she said to Sam after hanging up. "We may have broken through something here." She got up and kissed her husband.

They both said, "I love you" and Sam added "be careful" as she left the diner. Sam watched her get in her squad car and take off back towards 15 until she was out of sight. Then he finished his meal pondering just what his wife was in the middle of.


	6. Chapter 6

Andy pulled up in front of 15 and Traci was already waiting for her. She got in and told Andy where the legal clinic was. It was located in a storefront and was one floor with a front desk, bullpen and two offices.

The receptionist looked up at them and asked, "Can I help you?"

Yeah, I'm Detective Nash, this is Officer McNally. I talked to your boss, Mr. Crane, over the phone and he said he could talk with us.

"Sure thing, I'll go tell him you're here." She got up to go to the farthest back office and when she was out of earshot Traci remarked that she sounded a lot more hostile on the phone. The receptionist returned and led them back to the office. The man inside invited Andy and Traci to sit and he introduced himself.

"Lou Crane, I'm senior attorney and manager of this clinic. DO you have the letter from your boss?"

Traci produced the letter that Oliver had typed out and signed.

"Wonderful. Now then, how can I help you, officers?"

"We are investigating the Mary Daniels homicide. We understand she used to work here, do you remember her?", Traci asked.

"Oh, yes. She started here 3, maybe 4 years ago. Left when she got a job at a big firm. I always knew that's where she was heading. These kinds of clinics don't get lawyers like her too often to stick around. She was a great legal mind but also never put herself above anybody. That's a winning combination. I was very sad to hear she died."

"What about the name Andrew Walsh? We are interested to find out if he was ever a client of hers while she was here."

"Hmm, that name doesn't sound familiar. But I admit that I don't know the name of every client or person that walks in."

"What about your records?", Andy asked. "If she opened a file with his name wouldn't that information be stored somewhere?"

"I can't share information regarding case specifics, if there are any. But, I should be able to tell you if his name pops up in our accounting records." He typed away at his computer and it 'dinged back at him'. "Yeah, Andrew Walsh. He did receive some legal service here. I can't say what, however."

"Can you tell us when?", Traci asked.

"I can tell you that the first payment was made about 2.5 years ago for services provided by Mary."

"Thank you, Mr. Crane. You've been a great help."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more, considering Mary's tragic passing. But I still have to honor attorney – client confidentiality. If you need anything else, I'll try to help if I can."

Andy and Traci thanked him again and left the clinic. Back in the car Andy commented that Crane wasn't too bad, for a lawyer. Traci smiled and pulled out her phone.

"I need to call Detective Anderson and update her. Let's swing by Walsh's place and see if he's in. Maybe he'll tell us what he was seeing Ms. Daniels for."

* * *

Slint was on duty which made life easier for Dov and Frankie. They drove over to 27 and walked up to the front desk. After they identified themselves and their intentions, the officer working the desk informed them that Detective Slint told him to expect Dov and Frankie. He buzzed them through and led them through to the Detective's cubicle. 27 was smaller and less busy than 15 but still bore the trademarks of any station in the service from the parade room to the numerous coffee machines scattered around. Slint was a middle-aged man, a little heavy and wearing a button-down shirt, no tie.

"Detective Slint," the desk officer began, "The two detectives from 15 division are here." They shook hands and introduced themselves. Slint rolled over an extra chair from the next cubicle so the detectives could all sit and the desk officer left.

"So, what I do for you two?"

"We are investigating the murders of Enrique Rojas and Mary Daniels," Frankie said

"No shit? Rojas bit it?"

"Yeah, found today shot in the head. Looks like a suicide."

"But you don't but that clearly. I'm sorry, what was the other name? Mary Daniels? I don't know her."

"We'll come back to her. We know you have investigated Enrique before."

"Yeah, a couple times. Couldn't get anything on the bastard, though."

"Can you tell us about them?", asked Dov.

Um, yeah, sure. The first time was a teenage boy, drug overdose. Los Viboras, Rojas' gang which I assume you already know, supplied the dope. But it's I couldn't prove who exactly sold it. I told the kid's dad-,"

"Andrew Walsh?", Frankie interrupted.

"Yeah, so you know about him. I told him that I wasn't going to be making any arrests in the case and he flipped out about lack of justice. I understood, if my daughter had died that way I would want something done and not listen to reason the time either. I figured, you know, he would eventually come around and understand why there was nothing I could do. Anyway, he kept hounding me about it. The last time he called me he told me that he found a note on his son's phone with the name Enrique and an address. That address was a mini-mart. Anyway, Walsh told me that this has to be the seller, that his son didn't have any Hispanic friends. I knew of Enrique Rojas in the gang but I didn't give Walsh the name because I didn't want him to go all vigilante on a guy that could be innocent of this. Wash said that if I wouldn't do anything then he was going to. That he had been to a legal clinic and talked to a lawyer and knew what he could do and what he needed to find. I told him I would't advise that but I knew he wasn't listening anymore. That was the last I heard from him until the next case."

"And the second case?"

"Walsh owned this pawnshop. Apparently, he foiled an attempted robbery. He had his gun, a Glock 26, and got into an altercation with the would-be robber. A round got fired into the wall and the assailant ran off with the gun. Allegedly. It purely by chance that I draw this case and when he sees me he immediately lashes out at me for letting this happen. I ask him what he means and he tells me that since I didn't arrest Rojas, the banger had robbed him and almost killed him. We pulled the slug from the wall and analyzed the broken glass but there was nothing linking Rojas to it except Walsh's statement. He claims he made out this distinctive neck tattoo in the middle of a night in an unlit room. That pared with no DNA or any other corroborative witness and Walsh's crusade against Rojas made me highly skeptical. Somewhere he learned Enrique's full name, I don't know how. Anyway, I check on Rojas and he had an alibi for the time of the incident. He and some buddies were watching a Raptors game and knew fine details and about the commercials in between. I told Rojas to be careful, this guy has it out for you. Probably deservedly so, but to be careful nonetheless."

"You think Walsh made the whole thing up?", Dov asked.

"That would be my best guess, he's cold and extreme, but I can't prove it one way or the other. You liking Walsh for all of this?"

"The Mary Daniels we mentioned earlier," Dov began, "was stabbed while out jogging and robbed of her phone. She was a lawyer that worked at a corporate law firm. But before that, she worked at a legal clinic. Among her belongings was a photo of Rojas, tattoo very apparent, and a sticky note attached to it with the name 'Drew' Andrew WAlsh was the guy that found her and called 911."

"She must have been the lawyer Walsh talked to, huh?"

"We are pretty sure of it. Have some officers nailing that down right now." said Frankie. "We found the knife that stabbed Daniels among Rojas' possessions and his prints were all over it. Oh, and the bullet that came from Rojas' skull matched the bullet you pulled from the pawn shop wall. And both bullets matched a bullet that was test fired from the gun found lying next to Rojas' body. A Glock 26. How many bangers pack a subcompact Glock?", Frankie asked rhetorically.

"Why would he keep the knife? It doesn't make sense. Do you have anything that suggests Walsh could have killed Daniels and planted the knife on Rojas?"

"Other than the fact her was there, no, we don't.," Dov said. "We don't like the feel of the knife wither but you think he would kill the woman who helped him? The only person who helped him."

"What I think is that if he was committed to offing Rojas, he would have no problem eliminating the person who could connect him to it. Like I said, he's cold. Look, if Walsh killed these people, don't take him lightly. He's got nothing to lose and he'll be ready."

"You're saying he'll fight?", Dov asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised. God, I can live with a gangbanger getting killed because I missed Walsh but having that girl's death on my conscience… Ah, fuck me." Slint had his head in his hands.

"Paul, this isn't your fault," Frankie surprised Dov with a compassionate side. "You didn't kill her and you didn't involve her. None of that is on you. You've been a great help to us."

Slint nodded a bit but didn't say anything. Dov and Frankie thanked him for his time and left 27. Walking to the car, Dov said, "Well, that sucked."

Frankie turned to him and said, "Sometimes, in this job, you'll be faced with things you want to do but can't for whatever reasons. Most times it ends okay but sometimes it all goes to shit. At the end of the day, detectives are rarely in a position to prevent crime, we're in the crime solving business. The best thing we can do is arrest the bad guys when we can and hope the rest works itself out. Traci called while we were in there, left a message." Frankie listened to it and jumped in the car. Dov got in and asked what was up as she peeled out of their parking spot.

"Nash and McNally confirmed that Walsh was a client of Mary Daniels at the clinic. They are on the way to his house now to talk with him," Frankie said.

"He might be the guy and they are walking right into it. And if he's like Slint thinks- ."

"Right, so that's where we are going. Try to call them and warn them off until we get there then call for backup.

As Dov reached for his phone, Frankie flipped on the lights and sirens and floored the accelerator.


	7. Chapter 7

Andrew a Walsh lived on a quiet residential street. There was a car in the driveway whose tags came back as his. Andy parked in front of the house.

Andy's phone rang as Traci stepped out of the car. "It's Dov. Go ahead, I'll catch up."

"McNally," she answered.

"Where are you guys at?", Dov asked without preamble.

"We just got to the Walsh house, why?"

"Don't go in! Wait for Backup! We think he's our guy."

Andy looked up to see Traci at the door. She had been talking through the cracked door that still had the chain on. The door was just closing. Andy threw the phone on the passenger seat and sprung out her door.

"TRAC-"

 _BANG, BANG, BANG_

Traci was down before Andy even finished yelling her name. The shooter turned her attention to Andy and started firing in her direction.

Bullets shattered the windows and embedded in the side panel of the squad car. Andy dropped behind its frame, drew her gun, and screamed into her radio, "1514, 10-33 OFFICER DOWN! REPEAT, 10-33 OFFICER DOWN! I'M UNDER FIRE IN COVER! I NEED BACKUP AND A BUS!" She didn't hear the response but could hear sirens in the distance. She peeked up and fired 4 rounds at the doorway through the window frames of the car. Then everything was quiet. Andy didn't think she hit anyone, didn't hear anybody scream.

Traci was still conscious, although the blood loss was threatening that. She crawled herself to the side of the porch, placing herself against the brick wall of the house next to the driveway, relative safety for the time being out of the firing lane.

Andy didn't know how many times or how badly Traci had been hit but couldn't make a move towards her without knowing for certain that the shooter or shooters were down. She yelled into the radio again for backup and made out that they were just arriving on scene. She turned her head and Saw Diaz pull up with his rookie Marcy Zettle. They both crab walked over to Andy's position. Zettle kept her gun trained on the door while Chris got on his radio, "1504 on scene at 10-33. Downed officer has moved to some cover, cannot confirm condition."

"Tell backup to kick it in the ass," Andy said into her own radio.

Soon after, an unmarked squad pulled up and Anderson and Epstein got out and crouched behind their doors for cover. They had stopped around the corner and grabbed vests from the trunk before pulling up. There were many more sires off in the distance but things were at a stalemate here. Dov stepped out from behind the car door and moved up to check on Traci since he was best positioned to do so and didn't put himself in the line of fire. When he signaled that he was going to move her behind Frankie's car, Andy, Chris, and Marcy emptied their magazines into the house as covering fire while Frankie kept her weapon trained towards the side of the house. When the deafening round of gunfire ceased, things were again silent, save for the approaching sirens.

At that moment, Gail arrived on scene with her rookie, Jake Fox. Andy got on the radio and told them to go around back. She then took a moment to evaluate the scene around her. Chris and Marcy had their guns trained on the front of the house while Frankie still kept hers pointed towards the side of the house. Maybe a door or window over there , Andy figured. Dov was applying pressure to Traci's wounds and yelling things towards his phone lying on the road next to Traci. Gail and Jake had disappeared from her line of sight, around the corner of the house. Additional units were also arriving from all directions and taking up defensive positions and forming a perimeter. One lined up with Frankie's car and Dov popped the back door, got in, and lifted Traci inside with him. The car took off and turned at the first corner, getting her to a secure position for an ambulance.

Andy reached inside her bullet riddled car to grab the loudspeaker. "We have the house surrounded. Come out slowly with your hands up. Don't make this worse."

Gail's voice came over the radio, "This is Peck, we got a light in a basement window. Looks small, maybe a T.V. or a computer. No door back here, I'll keep monitering.

Next came Frankie, "I got a side door over here, window is too small to make anything out.

Then Oliver got on the radio, "ETF is 10 minutes out, do not enter the house. I repeat, do not enter the house. Keep a perimeter. I'm on my way.

So that is the way things stayed for 7 minutes. Everybody tense. Andy had tried a couple more times to talk the guy out of the house telling him things along the lines of ETF is on the way and it would be easier if he came out before then. She was about to try a third time when Gail came back on the radio, "Light just went out back here." Then more gun shots rang out, this time from the side that Frankie was covering. She dropped down as bullets smacked across the windshield. Andy yelled into her radio that they were taking fire again, this time from the west side of the house. Nobody had a clear shot and Frankie was completely pinned down.

"ETF is 2 minutes out," Oliver said over the radio. Andy knew how many different ways this could play out in 2 minutes. Many of them bad. She looked to Chris, "We can't wait." He nodded. Apparently, Gail felt the same way because she came on the radio, "I'm at the southwest corner." Frankie's car was still taking sustained fire from the west side of the house. "I've got a shot on the door."

Before anybody could reply, Gail fired 5 shots through the door and window. Then everything was quiet again. Gail moved up to the door while Frankie got back in position and trained her gun on the entry way. Gail opened the door and sidestepped to see inside. Frankie moved up to flank her. Walsh was dead, 3 of Gail's shots had struck him. One in the forearm, one in the shoulder, and the kill shot in the neck. Beside him was a hunting rifle and he had a 9mm sticking out of his waistband.

ETF arrived on scene and cleared the house. Oliver arrived just before ETF pronounced it clear and he went inside with Frankie. Dov was at the hospital with Traci and everyone else besides Fox had fired their weapon and had to give statements to SIU.

"They walked in on him trying to bolt," Frankie surmised from the bag of clothes and necessities by the door. "hopefully Nash can fill us in on what said before he started shooting."

"Who was this guy? Why all of this?", Oliver asked taking in the scene.

"Andrew Walsh, single father of an only child. That son dies of an overdose on Los Viboras dope. We can't make any case. He suspects Rojas' of selling it to his son. He reaches out to Mary Daniels to help him figure out options once it's clear we can't make a case. She invests herself in his struggle, genuinely wanting to help, even now 2.5 years later. She's able to identify Rojas and shares the information with Walsh. He then tries to frame him for a robbery. The Detective working the case determines that Rojas couldn't have done it and told Walsh there was nothing he could do. Walsh starts working with Ms. Daniels again and eventually he tracks down Rojas. Decides to kill him but comes up with a plan to frame him for Daniels' murder. Walsh was the guy who found her and called 911 according to the report. Instead, he killed her then called it in. He justified having her blood on him by saying he tried to help and stop the bleeding. Afterwards once the heat dies down on her case, he knows where Rojas lives and breaks in when he's not there. Waits for Rojas to come home, kills him makes it look like a suicide."

"With the gun from the pawn shop frame job?"

"Right, to corroborate Walsh's version of events where Rojas stole the gun during the incident. And establishing Rojas' possession of the gun. Then he plants the knife on the scene and wraps Rojas' fingers around it. While we try to make sense of it all, Walsh would slip away." She pointed back to the bag at the door.

"There are a lot of assumptions in there, detective. But with all three people dead and no trial, I guess it doesn't matter. You don't think there are any more players do you."

"No reason to. I'm good with signing off on it. There were no other leads in her death, these three are all clearly connected to each other, and the case is otherwise completely cold. Mary Daniels' family will be happy to get closure. Nobody will lose any sleep over Rojas, even if he was innocent. And Walsh won't get any sympathy considering his actions here today."

"No, he will not. Good work today, detective. Let's try to keep it less exciting next time, though." Oliver walked out of the house and back towards his truck and found Andy leaning against it.

"Dov called," she said. "Traci's out of surgery, she's still in guarder condition but stable. They say she's getting better, should be alright. Only one of the shots hit her."

"That's great news, you want to head over there?"

"I could use a lift," she looked over at the swarm of forensic techs around her squad car.

"Hop in."

* * *

On the way there, Sam called saying he had finally gotten out of the courtroom. Andy told him about the shootout. After convincing Sam that she was fine, with Oliver confirming that, she was able to tell him that Traci was in the hospital, Dov might have saved her life, and Gail had killed the shooter.

"Ah, hell. Is she going to be okay? Do you know?"

"Dov's with her. The docs think so. Oliver and I are heading over there now."

"Okay I'll meet you there. You sure you're alright?"

"I'm rattled, you know. Coming down from the adrenaline rush."

"But you're not hurt?"

"No, I'm not hurt."

"Okay, I love you McNally. I'll see you soon."

"Love you too."

* * *

Sam flashed his badge at the desk outside the recovery ward and the security guard buzzed him through. He found Andy seated in the waiting room with a bunch of other cops mingling around. Diaz was seated next to her but got up when he saw Sam coming down the hall. He patted Diaz on the back and placed his right arm around Andy as he sat down. She had her head back eyes shut but rolled into him. They stayed like that for a long time. After a time, a lot of the cops began trickling out to go home or back to 15 once Traci was in recovery. Her mom had brought Leo over and they were inside the recovery room. Eventually Andy and Sam were all that were left.

"I want to stay just a little longer, in case anything happens," she told Sam.

"Don't worry about it, honey. If you want to stay then I want to stay."

And stay they did until the hours for visitors ended. Boo's sitter had called while they were at the hospital but told them not to worry, she would keep Boo overnight and they could get him tomorrow. Boo loved it there and she loved Boo so it didn't bother anyone. They crashed as soon s they laid down at home, exhausted from the long day.

* * *

The alarm rang way too early and they were back at it for another shift. The day was pretty bland, by comparison. Sam stayed in and caught up on paperwork. Andy's biggest excitement came on a traffic stop that resulted in an arrest for a bench warrant. Pretty tame stuff. The overall highlight was Oliver announcing in parade that he was recommending Detective Epstein and Officer Peck for the Merit Mark for exceptional bravery in the line of duty. So, that night everyone went to the Penny after shift for a celebratory round or two. Sam and Andy left the party still in full swing to stop by the hospital and check in on Traci. Her condition had been upgraded to stable and would probably be out of the hospital in a week. Back to full duty in a month-and-a-half or so. She was excited for the Dov/Gail news as well.

"Now he's definitely keeping that detective's post," Traci remarked.

"Yeah, looks like I'm stuck with him," Sam smiled.

"And now Gail has something to flaunt at the Peck family dinners. That should thrill her. Oliver also stopped by here at lunch and told me he has a permanent partner lined up for me when I get back. I guess he doesn't want me solo after this."

"Ooh, who is it?" Andy was totally intrigued.

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me. He said he's still lining everything up, but that it's not somebody new to the division."

"Mysterious, that should get the rumor mill going."

"He told me I shouldn't tell anybody yet until it's finalized so, maybe, keep it off the rumor mill for the time being."

"Fine, it'll just be our little secret, girl-to-girl."

Sam cleared his throat from behind his wife, "Aren't you forgetting about someone?"

They both looked at him and laughed.

Sam just shook his head, grinning.

* * *

A/N: That's the end of the first major story. Thank you for all the positive reviews and support, they mean a lot. I hope you enjoy the future stories as much and I look forward to this journey with you guys.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day at work, Andy found out that Gail was on mandatory leave following the shooting. It was a clean shoot but she still was forced to take time. Andy went through it before, she knew Gail would put on her hard, un-unfeeling act and say everything is fine. But on the inside, it would mess her up a little.

With Gail out, Oliver told Andy that she would be taking Fox until Peck is back on-duty. She stopped into Frankie's office to check in on the case closing progress. Yesterday was still tying things up so maybe today all of this could be put to rest. "How's it going? How's Gail?"

"She says she's fine but she's not. Not yet anyway. Eventually she will be but it will take time."

"Yeah, I've been there before." Andy told her about the guy she killed who had been kidnapping girls and keeping them in the basement of a rec. center. She left out the part about the blackout near-hookup with Sam. "Closing up the case?"

"Yeah. I got a statement from Nash. She said she identified herself and that she would like to come in and ask some questions about Mary Daniels. Then she noticed the suitcase by the door and asked if she caught him on the way out. Then he shut the door and, well, we know the rest. The techs found a letter on Walsh's computer, time stamp said he wrote it out during the shootout."

"Where was the computer? Downstairs?"

"Yeah, it was."

"Gail mentioned that she thought there was a computer on in the basement right before Oliver told us that ETF was on the way. The she said the light went out just before he opened fire on you. Check the dispatch time logs, they'll line up. I'd bet on it."

"I'll do that. The letter explained things and corroborated our theories pretty well He said he was going out suicide by cop. I'm signing off on it. Oliver's ok with it. Hey, it's not pretty. But then again, most aren't."

"Well, it was nice working with you Detective."

"You too, McNally."

* * *

The next week, Traci was released from the hospital. Andy finally exhaled the pent-up worry that something would go wrong as long as she was in there. That was good because tomorrow was the day that Andy would take the sergeant's exam. Sam had been doing his best to keep her relaxed. He had cooked dinner all week and massaged her body each night. Her _whole_ body. And was ready they both knew it, now she just had to get there in the morning.

She woke up early that morning. The exam was scheduled for 8:00 A.M. but she wanted to get there early enough to get checked in and comfortable with enough time to focus herself. Sam dropped her off and gave her a good luck kiss. The exam was being administered back at the police college. The whole experience of checking in and going to her assigned room and filling out her answer booklet with personal information reminded her of standardized tests in high school.

When the proctor announced to the room that they could begin working, she dove in.

When she had completed her test, she raised her hand and the proctor collected it. He told her she was now dismissed and free to go. As she looked around she noticed that a majority of the room was still working through the test. She got outside and called Sam. Who was at the grocery store to get some stuff they needed.

"Hey Sweetheart, all done?"

"Yep, you can come get me now."

"How do you think you did?"

"I felt good taking it but I was one of the first people done so now I feel like I might have rushed and not analyzed each question and scenario as much as I should have."

"McNally, you know your stuff, know it well. So, you're just able to recognize the answer that much quicker than everybody else. That doesn't just lead you to finishing a test quicker but also means you will make the right decision faster in the field. And that is huge. As long as you are confident about it, finishing the test quickly is not a bad thing at all."

"How long did it take you?"

"Heh, we can talk about that another time. I'm checking out now, see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too."

Andy clicked off and sat down on a bench outside the doorway. It was a mid-November day. Chilly but not too. Soon, the cold would set in with December around the corner. Which also meant Christmas. Their first Christmas as husband and wife. Pretty soon they would go tree shopping and decoration shopping. To Andy, it truly was the most wonderful time of the year, as the classic song goes.

Andy, lost in her Christmas time day dream and planning missed Sam pull up. Abruptly, a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Sam staring down at her. He held out a hand and helped her up.

"Lost in thought, darling"

"Oh, not really. Just contemplating the weather."

Sam grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist and they walked her back to the truck.

* * *

The test results came back to her 10 days later. Sam and Andy had just returned home from work. Andy grabbed the mail from the box and set it down on the counter. Sam went to the fridge to grab a couple beers.

"Sam?"

He turned around to see Andy offering an envelope to him. "What's this?"

"It's my test results. Could you read it first?"

Sam opened the letter and read through it. "Sweetheart, you didn't just pass, you excelled! 98th percentile!" He handed her the letter and kissed her. "I'm so proud of you."

"Really?" She read it for herself. "Oh, wow. I never would have thought I did that well. Now all I have to do is get my application in to Oliver tomorrow."

"This calls for celebration! We're both off this weekend so why don't we head over to Niagara after shift Friday and come back Sunday night?"

"I'd be down for that, yeah. But, uh, in the meantime …," Andy said seductively and bit her lower lip.

Sam picked his wife up carried her towards their bedroom. "I'm sure we can think of something."

* * *

Andy had the application paperwork all filled out before shift the next morning. She walked into Oliver's office before she changed out and set the application down on his desk.

"Cutting it a little close there, McNally. I'm making the pick Friday."

"Then it's a good thing it's only Wednesday, sir," Andy said with a grin.

"Oliver looked up from his computer and returned the grin. "Yeah, it is a good thing."

"Well, I'll you in parade," Andy turned towards the door.

"Happy Hump Day," Oliver said as she walked out.

Andy's instinct was to go up to Traci's office and tell her the good news but Traci was still on leave. So instead, she went straight to the locker room and changed into her uniform.

Gail walked in soon after. "What's got you so chipper?", she asked after noticing Andy smiling.

"I got my test results back, 98th percentile!"

"Test results for …?"

"The sergeant's exam, I took it a couple a week and a half ago and t=got the results yesterday. So, I could finally complete the application for Oliver. Just in the nick of time. He's picking Friday."

"Two things. One, I didn't know you were shooting for that. Two, the deadline's here already."

"Yeah. Why? Were you wanting in on it?"

"Oh, no. I guess I've just been out of the loop lately."

Gail had just returned from her mandatory leave after the shooting. Andy had assumed the training of Fox while Gail was off-duty. They had done okay together, but had a sort of stand-offish relationship. Andy chalked that up to the kid riding with Gail for 4 and a half months. He was bound to pick up some habits. Or maybe he was just like that in general and that's why he and Gail work, why Oliver paired the two of them.

"So if you make sergeant are you going to boss me around?", Gail asked.

"Yep! And enjoy every single minute of it." They both tried to hold a serious look with each other but couldn't. "See you in parade."

Andy walked out of the locker rooms and through the bustle of the squad room to the armory where she prepped her gun and grabbed a radio. She entered the parade room and took a seat in the last row and waited for the rest of the platoon to file in. A few minutes later Oliver called parade to order and discussed the focus for the day. They were upping patrols in the Swansea neighborhood and High Park again. Last time that happened everybody groaned for being assigned a detail where the most excitement that ever happened was a cat up a tree. However, that day ended with Dov and Chris trapped in a gas leak and a kid in the hospital after an attempted suicide. Today, nobody took the assignment lightly.

"Final reminder guys, I need any last applications for the sergeants posting on my desk by tomorrow. I will be picking from them Friday. Additionally, there will be a combination party for Campbell's retirement and the newly promoted Friday night at the Penny. Okay, assignments are on the board. Be safe."

Parade broke and Andy went to the board, she was back with Chloe again. "Long time no see," the cheery brunette said from beside her. They had been partnered almost every day before the shooting but hadn't been partnered since.

"No more quiz games." Andy told her about the test results.

"That's Awesome!", Chloe gave Andy an excited hug. "You won't be one of the worst boss I've had."

"Oliver's still the big boss," Andy told her.

"And don't you forget it," Oliver had re-entered the parade room.

"Hey staff, Andy was just telling me about her score."

"Yeah, it's pretty good. I mean, not Oliver Shaw good, but you might have something on Sam. I know if he scored something like that, he would have been bragging about it non-stop."

Andy snorted a laugh and grabbed the keys to 1505 from the wall. "Well we can't all be Oliver Shaws."

"No, you can't, nor should you strive to be." He placed a hand on Andy's shoulder. "You just gotta be you. Now get out there."


	9. Chapter 9

Andy and Chloe were cruising by High Park and into Swansea when they got a call for a mysterious odor coming from a residence. They could smell it as soon as they got out of the car. They both knew the dead body smell and this was it. They scouted the house hoping for windows to try to get a view. Chloe went around back and climbed on top of a garbage can to see through what turned out to be a bedroom window. Inside she could make out a body in the bed. She banged on the window a few times and got no response from the body.

"Andy, I see a body in the bedroom," Chloe said over the radio.

"Okay, I'm going to kick the door."

"On my way."

When they were both ready Andy kicked in the door and they cleared the house before checking the body. The person was an elderly male. Eighty, at least. He had been dead awhile by the looks of it. But he would still need to be examined to rule out foul play. Andy called it in and soon Sam and Dov, both wearing aviator shades, showed up as well as an M.E.'s crew. Andy went out to the front yard to greet them. The techs brushed past into the house while the two detectives stood outside looking over the house.

"I don't think you guys are going to be needed on this one." she said. "Old guy just died."

"Let's see what there is to see anyway, just in case," Sam said.

Andy led them into the hose and pointed to the bedroom. "He's back there. Rest of the house is clear."

Sam tracked two fingers across a dusty mantle. "Doesn't look like anybody has been moving around in here too much lately. Dov went to the fridge to look at the dates on some of the dairy products. "He's got yogurt in here, most of it's expired."

Sam went to the answering machine, only three messages. He hit the play button. 2 of them were automated messages from a pharmacy. The third was a telemarketer about discounted Caribbean cruises. "Nobody called to check in on him. Guess he's not the social kind." Sam found no mail in the mail box. "Maybe a P.O. box guy." The three of them walked back to the bedroom. Chloe was outside watching the coroner and his team work.

"Hey Marv," Sam said, "Got anything that interesting?"

"The guy is Henry Jenkins. We found a wallet in the drawer with $46 dollars in cash. Driver's license says he's 84. You find anything?"

"The usual that comes with a dead guy. Nothing strange."

"I'll have to do an autopsy to confirm, but it's looking like natural causes."

With that the 4 officers left the house. Chloe went back to the car to start the paperwork and Sam went to call Oliver and update him.

Dov and Andy were standing on the front lawn again when Dov asked her if she was ready to be road sergeant.

"Why does everyone keep assuming I'm gonna get the post?"

"You're kidding, right? Andy, you scored in the 98th percentile and the guy making the decision is Shaw. You're practically a little sister to him. You got it in the bag."

"I don't want that way. If somebody else has worked harder or better, then so be it. I want it because, and only if, I've truly earned it."

"That's what the test score proves. You're clearly the most qualified of those that applied in the division."

"So, you've got it all figured out, huh?"

"We all do. Everyone knows it's a formality."

"Well, I'm not celebrating until Oliver says so."

"In that case, it's a good thing we'll all know tomorrow."

Sam had ended his phone call and walked back to them. "Oliver says to wrap it up here. McNally, you and Price wait for the coroner to finish off and then seal it up. Epstein, we can head back."

Dov wandered down to Andy and Chloe's car to talk with her before they left leaving Sam and Andy alone. "So," Sam began, "Dov clued you in on what everyone thinks will happen?"

"You heard that?"

"Just the tail end of it."

"Yeah, well now I'm even more worried."

"Why's that?"

"Sam if everyone expects me to get it, what happens if I don't? I become the elephant in the room. I don't want that. I never thought of myself as the favorite, definitely not a sure thing."

"Andy, don't stress about this. Either way it goes tomorrow, we'll all be just fine. We'll go to the party for a bit and then take off for Niagara. We'll have fun, relax, and just enjoy ourselves. I love you McNally." They kissed for a few seconds.

"I love you too, Sam." They kissed again and Sam said he would catch her later. Andy watched him collect Dov and head back to 15.

Andy walked back to the car and got in. Chloe had gotten a start on the paperwork but it was clear that all that stopped when Dov came over. They split up the rest and started working while they waited for the M.E. crew to pull out.

* * *

Back at 15, Sam and Dov went back to the paperwork they were drudging through before the trip to Swansea. Or, more accurately, Dov was doing paperwork. Sam chipped in here and there but Epstein took the load for a few reasons. The first being, Sam had never liked paper work, pushing it off on McNally when in uniform and bargaining with Nash as much as he could when they were partnered. Secondly, Epstein was good at it. Working with Marlo in intelligence on the Ted McDonald case made him very detailed oriented and gave him a knack for sifting through endless information to find the critical links. And lastly, Epstein was still a detective in training on a probationary rotation. Sam knew Dov would so be made permanent but would milk Epstein's "probie" phase as long as he could.

They had just wrapped up a case involving vandalized cars and stolen airbags. They had been coming up dry until one of the two delinquents got popped in the face by an airbag mid-extraction. Needless to say, DNA was everywhere and their crime spree was over soon after.

Sam decided to go see what Oliver was up to, he'd been in his office on the phone for a while now. That only happened when something was wrong. Oliver preferred to talk to people face-to-face when he could. But judging from his best friend's frequent smiling and general air of happiness around him, Sam was curious.

"I'm going to stop in Oliver's office for a minute," Sam stood up and walked across the catwalk around the squad room to Shaw's office

"Yeah, don't worry about me, I've got plenty to keep me busy," Dov said sarcastically to himself. Dov didn't mind though. This was the job he wanted and this was part of the job.

Sam knocked on the door frame and Oliver motioned him to come in. "Yeah, that sounds good," Oliver was wrapping up the call. "We'll see you in a few weeks. Yep, can't wait. It'll be great." Oliver set the phone back in its cradle. "Hey Sammy, what's up?"

"That sounded like an unusually pleasant phone call."

"It was. How's our girl doing?", Oliver quickly changed the subject.

Sam considered pressing for more info on the call but figured if he needed to know Oliver would tell him. "She's good."

"Not nervous?"

"Not for the reasons you'd expect. She'd been feeling fine about it, even seemed okay with the fact that she may not get it. But now she finds out that everybody expects her to get it because of her score and relationship with you and that pressure is weighing on her. She wants to be picked because she earned it, not take it from someone more deserving.

"Brother, then it's a good thing she's going to get it. And she deserves it, her score put her on top of the pile. Her record kept her there."

"Her record that you help keep clean in the Moore fiasco."

"And a record that has a splotch for conduct unbecoming, do you remember who the other guy in that mess was? The name is escaping me right now," Oliver teased. "Look, every cop has something from somewhere in their career they regret. She made amends for it, you both did. You followed the terms of the suspension and have worked impeccably since. Lives saved, really bad guys put away. If anybody brings grief because of it I'm prepared to defend her with everything I got. Besides, and this is what I told Jarvis, you hired me to do this job so let me do it. Brother, everything is going to be okay. She's going to get the post and this scheme, an unnecessary one as it turns out, will stay a secret."

Sam nodded. "I'm taking her to Niagara tomorrow night for the weekend for some relaxation before she starts the new post. It'll be good for her and nice for me too."

"That sounds like a plan. Just don't miss the party," Oliver smiled at him.

"Oh, I suppose we'll make an appearance. See ya later Oliver." Sam walked out back to his desk to see if Epstein was close to finished with the paper work yet. He'd completely forgotten about the call that brought him to Oliver's office in the first place.


	10. Chapter 10

Andy didn't sleep well that night, the pressure of the next day weighing on her. Oliver had said he'd announce his pick in morning parade. At least It would be over soon, and she could move on, one way or the other. Sam had made breakfast and they ate over small talk, avoiding the elephant in the room. The drive in to work was much the same.

It hurt Sam to hold back the knowledge that Andy was going to get the post, when the not knowing was clearly affecting her that morning. On the other hand, he knew he'd hurt her more by revealing His and Oliver's plan. That was something she was better off never knowing and since nobody but the two best friends and Jarvis knew, Sam wasn't worried about her finding out. If she did down the road sometime, it would be too far in the past to matter anymore. He hoped.

As the whole platoon filed in for parade, detectives included with the pending announcement, the candidates up for the job all wished each other good luck and congratulated the retiring Sgt. Campbell on a fine career.

"Everybody, I know we're all anxious to hear who got the post. But first let me remind you all of the party tonight after shift at the Penny. Attendance is mandatory," Oliver swept his gaze across the whole room. "No special assignments today, as of now. So, everybody, do your usual patrols. Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Let me first say that this was not an easy choice, there fine applications from great officers and I'm honored to serve with all of you. That being said, starting Monday, 15 Division's newest road sergeant will be … Andy McNally."

A round of applause swept through the room and those seated closest to Andy offered their personal congratulations. She turned to find Sam near the door. He smiled and winked at her."

Oliver picked up again, "Yes, congratulations McNally, we know you will do us all proud."

"Thank you, sir. And, thank you everybody." Andy could not control the emotions flooding through her. Joy, excitement, relief. All of it behind her best and brightest smile.

"Car assignments are on the board, McNally you are going to be with Campbell today for his last shift. Go easy on him, maybe you'll learn something," Oliver chested. Light chuckles sounded through the room. "Parade is dismissed. Serve, protect, and don't screw up." When the room was half-standing, Oliver added, "And, I'll see each and every one of you tonight."

Some of the other officers that weren't sitting near Andy at the announcement, like Gail and Chris, came over and personally congratulated her. When everybody else had filed out of the room, Andy found Sam still standing in the same place, sporting one of his signature grins.

"Well, well. Sergeant McNally. If it's all right with you I'll just stick to McNally. Easier, won't have to break a habit."

Andy gave a light laugh and wrapped herself around her husband for a brief moment. "I'm so relieved. I can't even begin…," she lost her words and hugged Sam again.

"Honey, I never doubted you for a minute."

* * *

Andy caught up with Campbell in the squad room and told him she'd be ready to go in a few more minutes. The she went up to Oliver's office and he motioned her in before she even knocked.

"What can I do for you. McNally?"

"I just wanted to thank you personally, sir. This is an honor."

"Yeah, well, you made the decision easy on me. That might be the first time you've ever made anything easy," Oliver jested her.

"What exactly was it that made me the pick? If I may ask, sir."

"You know, it was a little of this and a little of that. No one thing any more than the other, though that score didn't hurt." They both smiled. "Really McNally, it was just the combination of all the things, big and little, tangible and intangible. You have the score and the record, but you also have the personality and mentality. I think you have great potential in the role, and it was an easy selection. Congratulations McNally. Now, go learn something from Campbell and get both of ou to the party in one piece and on time."

"As soon as I can pry him away from the rest of the platoon congratulating him."

"They're just trying to avoid work," Oliver joked. "Tell them I said to save it for the party and to get to work. No, better yet, make it an order coming from you. Your very first."

"So, I'll be branded Sergeant Buzzkill before I even officially begin," Andy remarked sarcastically.

"Hey, we all have our roles." They both smiled again and Andy walked back down to the squad room. Campbell had broken from the crowds and was getting a cup of coffee for the road when Andy walked up to him."

"34 years of the same routine," he said without facing her. "Now it dawns on you that everything you do today, part of the routine, will be the last time. It's surreal. You might think that sounds extreme, it's just coffee or loading my weapon." He turned to her. "But I bet you, when you're in this position, you'll feel it to."

Andy didn't know what to respond to that with so she just asked, "What are you going to do now?", they had begun the walk out to the car, or rather truck. The sergeants got to drive the Tahoes. Today they were in 15S3.

"Me and the wife bought a place down in Florida so we spend the winter's down there. Lots of fishing and golfing."

"Beaches, warm weather…," Andy supplemented as they got in the SUV.

"Honestly, I don't know much beyond that, day-to day stuff. I'll figure it out as I go, probably."

Campbell grabbed the radio and reflected a moment. "Last time I'm ever gonna do this." He keyed the mic, "15 Sierra 3, we're 10-8."

" _Roger 15 Sierra 3_ ," dispatch came back.

* * *

The day was uneventful by cop standards. Andy observed Campbell's approach to handling situations. First of all, just because a call came over the radio didn't mean you responded right away, he had siad. If the call was an immediate situation or an emergency or in your vicinity that's different. But a run-of-the-mill call wasn't the responsibility of a sergeant. They needed to be available if they really were needed for backup or any sort of supervisory role and couldn't be caught up dealing with a couple of kids smoking marijuana in the park. "Let the patrol officers handle that and we stay ready," Campbell had told her.

Andy had never dodged a call in her life, even when it involved a hostile cat barricading its owner in a room. That was the biggest change in this role. She got to filter which calls she took and which ones she didn't. Oliver had tried to do that on her first day but dispatch called them specifically and they had no choice. Dispatch would only call her specifically now if another officer requested a sergeant. While it was a new concept, Andy could already tell she liked the freedom.

Before lunch, they responded to a call for them at a traffic stop. The officer who initiated the traffic stop suspected drugs to be in the car, but the driver denied him when he asked to search it. So he had also called a K-9 unit, which the was still waiting on when Andy and Campbell showed up. They were there purely to oversee the K-9 test and any subsequent search. Eventually the dog showed up and hit on the door panels in the back seat. The officer pried the panels off and discovered enough cocaine to arrest the guy on felony possession with intent to distribute. Andy and Campbell did nothing but observe and sign off as witness to the process.

They stopped for Lunch at his favorite place. A Jamaican jerk chicken food truck. The day was cool but not too bad so they ate sitting on the hood of their cruiser and traded stories. Andy didn't have the volume to match Campbell but he insisted she had the quality. Eventually they talked a bit about her father, who had been around when Campbell first came on. He was happy to her that he'd conquered his drinking and was making good with his life. A lot of ex-cops struggle with that.

After lunch, they pulled over a suspected drunk driver. They couldn't exactly ignore a guy swerving between lanes right in front of them so they lit him up. Thankfully he pulled over right away, to the best of his impaired ability. As soon as the driver rolled down his window and asked what the problem was, all suspicion went by the wayside. His breath was heavy with alcohol and there were two empty beer bottles in the passenger wheel well. He consented to the breathalyzer and was shocked when he blew a .14. He maintained that he had only drank two beers a few hours ago and was taking the bottles to a recycling center for the few cents he would get back. Regardless they had him transported back to 1 and booked with DUI. They got another officer to sit on the car until a tow truck got there and they hit the road again.

Nothing else happened and they returned back to 15 at end of shift to clock out.

"And so, the final chapter concludes," Campbell said as he got out of the car. It was nice spending the day with you Andy, riding alone day after day can get lonely at times."

"It was nice riding with you too, I hope to live up to your example."

"Ah, don't worry about that. I know after riding with you for one day that you'll do great. Don't put added pressure on yourself. It not necessary, Andy. You be the cop you are and the rest takes care of itself."

"Thanks, I'll remember that. See you at the Penny."

Andy walked up to Sam's desk but found it empty besides his leather jacket draped across the chair. She peeled a sticky note off his stack of them and scrawled a quick note.

' _Hey Sam, I just got back, going to change out. Love Andy_ '.

She stuck the note on his monitor and went to the locker room. Most of the platoon was already out of uniform and Gail, Chloe, and the others all said they would see her at the Penny. She was back in street clothes a few minutes later and walked out of the locker room to find Sam, in his leather jacket, leaning by the doorway."

"Hey honey, did you see my note?"

"I did. That, paired with my superb detective abilities, led me to wait for you right here."

She smiled and punched him lightly in the abs. He bent done and kissed her before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and leading her out to the parking lot to the truck.

"I cleared it with Oliver," he said. "We'll make an appearance at the party and the necessary rounds and then we can sneak out and hit the road. We'll get into Niagara before it's too late that way. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect." She nuzzled in to him and felt as happy as ever.


	11. Chapter 11

Sam's intention was to leave the party with Andy before it got too late into the evening so they could get to Niagara while it was still Friday. He had the hotel reservation all set up. All he had to do was get Andy there. Unfortunately for him, Andy got stopped by almost everyone in the bar to wish congratulations her way. And, Andy being Andy, had to talk with each person for a little bit. Add that on to the couple celebratory rounds and Oliver's speech again congratulating Campbell and Andy and they didn't leave the party until after midnight.

"I'm sorry that took so long Sam, I know you had wanted to leave earlier," Andy said as they drove away.

"Ah, it's not a big deal. I just wanted more time with you to myself, just being selfish on your big day," Sam grabbed her hand in his and kissed it. "On the bright side, traffic should be a breeze." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

Traffic on the QEW was light and they were able to get in before 2. They were both tired from the long day and relished the bed and the peaceful sleep it brought.

* * *

On Saturday morning they woke up late and decided to walk the town. Andy wanted to visit the shopping and entertainment districts. Sam was wondering how anybody could afford this stuff. Over an overpriced lunch, they decided to head down to the Falls and catch the fireworks show that night. They still had a while to spare before the show would start so they got in line for a ride on _Maid of the Mist_.

As they slowly progressed through the line Andy told Sam that they should look into a bike tour for Sunday. She and Nick had done one when they were on leave from the Fort Erie Operation.

Sam pulled out his phone and searched the internet for options. "There's a few different wine tasting tours we could take. I know you'll enjoy those."

"That does sound like something I'd enjoy, but what about you?"

"Well McNally, as long as I'm with you, I'll enjoy it. I'm easy that way."

Sam went ahead and reserved two spots for the next day and supplied the necessary information. He had been following along through the line not really seeing what was in front of him. He looked up to see a tourist photo station. He glanced over at Andy who was smiling. "I assume you'll be wanting to do that."

"Yup."

"Well, I guess we better embrace the full tourist mindset, then. Should I start speaking Spanish and let you translate for me? You know, really complete the image," Sam teased.

Andy lightly elbowed him in the gut as they moved up in line.

* * *

Eventually they were finally up to board one of the boats. They had both donned a blue poncho and had grabbed a spot along the railing. Once inside the mist, they became completely disoriented from enveloping cloud. Sense of time and direction faded, and they let themselves be taken in by the beauty of the natural wonder.

When they disembarked back at the port, they sat down to eat dinner at a restaurant right on the walkway looking out at the Falls. The whole thing was timed out perfectly because as they had finished their dinner, the fireworks show began.

"Isn't that a sight," Sam marveled the contrasting features. The natural beauty of the falls paired with the designed wonder of the fireworks.

"We should come out here on Canada Day, I bet it's really is a special view." Andy said, her head leaning on Sam's shoulder.

"It's got to be. Good thing I can get a special view whenever I want, though. I would hate to have to wait a whole year."

Andy looked up to see Sam looking down at her.

"I love you Andy."

"I love you Sam."

They kissed for a while and then turned their eyes back to the show.

* * *

The next morning got off to a sort of late start, but that was okay. Their tour didn't start for another couple of hours so they had time to spare. When the fireworks show had finished, they took a leisurely walk back to the hotel, with a stop to ride the inclined railway. Upon their return to the hotel and some fooling around, it was fairly late in the evening and they both enjoyed the chance to sleep late one last time before returning to work the next day.

Over a late breakfast, Andy told Sam how interesting the tour she took with Nick was and that it was a real fun time. Sam had no problem hearing about Andy's time with Nick. All Sam ever wanted was Andy to be happy. If she would have been happier with Nick then so be it, he was willing to walk away. But he much preferred this outcome.

"Speaking of Collins, you hear anything from him?" Sam asked.

"No, not really, he texted me congratulations again a couple days after the wedding. I asked him how things were going and he said he was still adjusting and trying to patch things up with Juliet."

"Well, I hope things work out for him. I mean, poor kid lost the best thing going," he winked at Andy. He did actually miss Nick on the platoon. He was a great cop, solid guy, and a real steady presence. The service lost a good one when he left.

"I'm sure he'll be able to bounce back. He did say that Vancouver was beautiful," Andy said.

"You ever been?"

"No, always heard it was nice though. After Mom left, Dad had a lot on his plate. The job, finances, me. His drinking eventually. Any way we didn't really take any big vacations."

"Maybe we should go out there sometime. I know this may surprise you, but my family didn't take too many trips either," Sam said sarcastically. The only trips I took were summer ones to the country where I realized I didn't much like it."

"You're Mr. City Guy." Andy flashed back to the time her and Sam were chasing an escaped prisoner through the woods. Sam, while bandaging up her leg she injured in the process, had told her such. He also told her why he became a police officer. "You know," Andy said, back in the moment, "we go right through St. Catharines on the way back. If we get out of here after the tour early enough and call ahead, maybe we could meet up and have dinner with Sarah."

Sam stared off into the distance, perhaps not coincidentally in the direction of St. Catharines. "I don't think so McNally. Me and my sister still aren't square with each other yet, I wouldn't feel right just dropping in."

"Still mad over your father? I mean he was at you wedding, so he's moved on from whatever, he's fine with you now."

"Maybe. Either way, I didn't want him there and she know it."

"We're going to have to work that out someday Sam."

"We? You want to get in the middle of it?"

"Of course. Sam, your family is my family and vice versa."

"Your family's a bit easier to add in Andy, it's just your Dad, and your mom I guess if she ever pops up again," Sam teased.

"Maybe so, but it's the thought that counts. Sam, I want children, I know you do too."

"Definitely."

"Okay, I want them to know their Aunt. I want them to know their family."

Sam said nothing for a moment then sighed. "Beauty and brains. As usual, you're right. We'll try to work this out."

"Thank, you Sam."

"Just, not today. Today, it's just us. And a bunch of wine enthusiasts."

Andy giggled and stretched across the table to kiss Sam. He gladly reciprocated.


	12. Chapter 12

The alarm on the bed stand went off early Monday morning. Andy groaned and whacked at it a couple time until she hit the snooze button.

"Rise and shine, McNally, it's a big day." Sam walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains to let in some daylight. He had been up for a little while now; he got up earlier than his wife most mornings so he could walk Boo. Another muffled groan came from Andy's direction as her head was stuffed in the pillow, trying to escape the light from the window.

"Okay then, we'll go to 'plan B'," Sam said.

Sam whistled and Andy could her something thumping up the stairs. Her half-awake brain took a little too long to connect the dots and by the time she had, Boo had jumped up on the bed and was drowning Andy in wet, slobbery kisses. Andy was able to fend him off enough to sit up and rub her eyes.

"Morning Sunshine," Sam said as she was finally awake. I'm surprised, you're usually eager about things like a promotion."

"Yeah, well, I think it has me a little nauseous."

"That's normal," Sam had taken a seat on the bed next to her. "You felt that way day one at the academy, and on your first shift, right?"

Andy nodded.

"And all of those experiences went well, this one will be no different. Hey, most cops couldn't go into a significant promotion without being a little nervous."

"What about you, detective?", Andy raised an eyebrow at him. "What was you first day as detective like?"

"Well, I did say most cops and, as you assuredly know, I'm not like most cops."

Andy lightly punched him, "Sam…,"

"Of course I was nervous. I couldn't let that show though, I have an image to maintain. But you can bet I was feeling the pressure, not wanting to screw up, let anybody down. But Andy, look, you're the most confident copper I know, you got this."

* * *

"Okay everybody, settle down." Oliver called Parade to order and the commotion began to die down. Today is Sergeant McNally's first shift as such so, Andy, here are you new epaulettes." Oliver handed them to her. They featured the sergeant's stripes above her badge number. Andy ran her thumb over the stripes and relished in the reward that all the hard work over the last few months had brought.

When parade ended Andy swapped out her epaulettes and put her old ones in her locker.

"Those stripes look good on you."

Startled, Andy turned around to find Sam leaning in the door way, smiling at her.

"They feel good, too," Andy returned the smile. "What are you working on today?"

"Nothing much, getting caught up on paperwork, sending stuff through to the prosecutor. Nothing as glamorous as what you'll be doing. Driving around taking whatever calls you want, bossing people around, good police work."

They had left the locker rooms and were heading out towards the door to the parking lot. "Tell me," Andy started, "when you got minted you went for the transfer to U.C., right?"

"Yep, I'd been in uniform for some time and I just wanted to see what else there was. Turned out I was really good at it and had a promising future. That is, until an overeager rookie came along and, well, you know the rest. Still had that command trait though, as you so aptly pointed out when I was training Nick."

"Well between me and Nick, you have a great training record."

"I don't like to brag," Sam dropped his voice to just above a whisper, "but I am pretty great. Seriously though, Oliver always was going to be a teacher, a mentor. I didn't think it was for me. I guess I was wrong."

"Hmm, maybe you just got two great rookies that didn't require a top-notch teacher," Andy teased.

"Well, we can't all be Oliver Shaws," Sam conceded. "I mean he is in the top 3 of cops in the service.

"Oh, my god, he told me the exact same thing the other day after parade. Word-for-word, basically."

"Really, That's kind of weird. I better go talk with him. We can't be stealing each other's lines."

Andy chuckled, "Yeah we were discussing with Chloe about the test, the application, you now? And I think he was trying to ease my nerves. Oh, and he may have mentioned that my score was superior to a certain someone's?"

"Who? Me?"

Andy shrugged.

"They had reached the door to the parking lot. Sam opened it and held it open for her. "All I can say is that my skill set is vastly different from yours McNally, it's like comparing apples to oranges, like saying…". The door shut behind them, cutting off the rest of Sam's justification and Andy's laughs to those inside.

* * *

Andy was cruising the division in 15S3, the same truck she had ridden along with Campbell in. 15S1 is reserved for the staff sergeant and S2-S4 are for the road sergeants. She was excited to be out of the car, liked the power of a bigger vehicle with the word 'supervisor' on it.

She was starting to feel hungry but it was too early to stop for lunch yet so she pulled up outside a general store to pick up a snack. AS she killed the engine and popped the door to step out, the radio squawked.

" _Dispatch, this is 1518. Show me in pursuit, red Camry, southbound Humberside between Dundas and Keele."_

" _Copy 1518, any units please respond."_

"15 Sierra 3, mark me." Andy had gotten back in the Tahoe and was already driving in the general direction of the chase but wasn't that chase. She flipped on the siren and flashers and gained speed. She recognized the voice in 1518 as belonging to Wendy Young. Andy obviously knew of her but wasn't that close. She was closer to Sam's academy class than hers.

"1504 responding." Diaz and Zettle.

"1509 too." Peck and Foxx. Good, Andy told herself, odds are at least one of them was closer than she was. AS others called in that they were responding as well, Andy grabbed her radio. "1518, 15 Sierra 3, update on position?

Nothing came back. Andy didn't panic right away. If she was riding solo, which a veteran officer such as herself probably was, she may not be able to grab the radio and respond right that second. As the moments ticked by and still no response came back she began to worry. Nobody had any clue where the chase was at or where to set up and wait.

"Dispatch, 15 Sierra 3, can you run a trace on 1513's location?"

A few seconds later, "1518 is showing at the corner of Glenlake and Quebec, stopped, has been for a bit."

Shit, Andy thought, if she was stopped and not responding something might be really wrong.

" _1504, we're right around the corner, stand by."_

Andy registered that she was just a couple minutes out now.

" _This is 1504, 10-50 at Glenlake and Quebec involving our unit and possible suspect car. Rush fire rescue. Civilian car is on its side and our unit's in a house."_

Fuck, this was bad.

" _1504, confirm, you report our unit is in a house?"_

" _Yes, 1518 has crashed through the front of a house."_

" _1509, pulling up now, we'll take the civilian car. 1504, take the house and squad car."_ Gail said confidently.

As first on scene Chris technically had the call on how to handle it until Andy arrived but he wasn't going to challenge Gail. _"Copy,"_ was all Chris came back with. Andy was also just around the corner and could see the light from the flashers on the other squad cars bouncing off houses. This was it, her first scene as Sergeant. Nothing like a trial by fire he thought to herself.

Andy skidded to a stop, killed the siren but left the flashers on, jumped out of the truck and grabbed her radio, "15 Sierra 3, we need more units for traffic control at the 10-50. Also, ETA on fire rescue?"

" _Copy 15 Sierra 3, fire and rescue is still 5-10 minutes out, had to reroute from a warehouse fire on the west end."_

"10-4." Andy keyed her mic again, "Diaz, what's your status?"

"We're trying to get a look inside the house, not having much luck, may need to kick in the back.

"Don't do that! The structural integrity may be compromised. We don't need this getting any worse. I'm coming your way." As Andy began jogging over to Diaz and Zettle she radioed again, "Peck, status?"

"We believe the driver was ejected, Foxx and I are fanning out."

"Any passengers?"

"Uh, negative, none that we could see."

"Copy that."

She made it over to where Diaz and Zettle were, staring at the tail end of a cruiser sticking out of the house. The front two-thirds inside the house, Andy could finally hear the welcome sound of sirens hurrying toward them. "Okay, don't go in or try to move anything, but try to establish verbal contact with her. I'm going back to the suspect car, make sure nothing was missed."

Andy jogged off again, towards the car laying on its side in the middle of the intersection.

"1513 on scene, where do you want me?"

"Price, divert to Peck and Foxx and join their search."

"Got it, I see them now."

The car was an old-model Camry. The side panel on top was very damaged, Andy could only assume the other was in a similar state. She looked through the shatter windows and noted the hole in the windshield. That paired with the lack of a driver backed up Peck's assumption. It was apparent the rest of the passenger compartment was empty of victims so either the driver was alone or anybody else was also thrown out. Andy was about to move away from the car and head back to the house when she heard a faint, but persisting noise coming from the trunk.


	13. Chapter 13

Andy dropped to the ground next to the trunk. She knew the sound when she heard it but wanted to make sure. "15 Sierra 3, I've got a baby in the trunk of the suspect vehicle."

" _Copy that, fire rescue is just arriving on scene"_

Andy looked over her other shoulder and could see a fire truck heading at her. "It's okay, buddy helps here," she tried to talk to the baby through the trunk.

A couple of the fire fighters got out and approached the car, the rest went towards the house and the squad car inside it. Andy told them about the baby and they nodded and got to work getting into the trunk. Andy went over to the house to see what was going to happen there.

"You're in charge here?", one of the firefighters asked.

"Offi-, I mean, Sergeant McNally," She stuck out her hand and the firefighter grasped it.

"Lieutenant Madic, do we know anything about the house, occupants?"

"No," Chris spoke up, "we tried to make contact visually or verbally with anyone inside but got no response. Sergeant told us not to try to get in the house.

"Smart. This is what we are gonna do. My guys and I are gonna go in through the back if we can. Is there a door?"

"Yeah, there is," Chris said.

"Okay, we'll go in see if there's anyone in there, anyone else that needs help, and check on your officer. What's her name?"

"Wendy Young," Andy supplied.

"Alright, sit tight, direct the medics over when they get here. Let's go boys!" The firefighters marched off to the back of the house.

"You two stay here and keep me posted," Andy instructed Diaz and Zettle.

"Will do."

Andy jogged back to where the firefighters there were working. When she got them in view she found them already in the trunk and pulling the baby out.

"Got her," the one who pulled her out said triumphantly.

"15 Sierra 3, fire rescue has extricated the baby from the trunk."

" _10-4, tasking additional medic units your way."_

"I can sit here with the baby if you want to get in the house with the rest of your squad."

"Might as well, can't really help out here anymore," one of them said. The other handed the baby to Andy, and they trooped off toward the house. The poor infant had a cut on it's head that was bleeding a little. Pretty lucky, Andy thought, given the condition of the car and that the baby was unsecured in the trunk. It struck Andy how small the baby was. Probably only a couple weeks old. Who would put such a fragile life in a trunk and get in a police chase?

She keyed her shoulder mic, "Update on search for ejected driver."

" _This is Foxx, we found a significant blood trail leading away from some shrubs through some yards and through a gate on a fence into a yard."_

"Any signs of continuation of the trail?"

" _Negative"_

Alright, sit tight for now, I'll get over there when I can. Price, can you get back here and stay with the baby?"

" _On my way."_

A minute and a half later Chloe pulled up and took charge of the baby. Andy ran back to her truck and got the address that Peck and Foxx were at.

When she got out, she walked up to Gail and asked if anything had changed.

"Nope, no movement, we've tried to make contact but haven't gotten anywhere."

"Ok, I'm going to knock on the door and let the owners know what's going on. Hopefully he's not in the house."

She walked up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. And older couple opened the door and she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Sergeant McNally, 15 Division. We are tracking a suspect and have strong reason to believe he is on your property. Are you alone in the house?"

"Oh, my," the woman said. "I believe we're alone. This door and the back one are the only ways in and we've been right by that back door for a while now."

"Okay, my officers and I are going to get into your back yard, hopefully we can apprehend the guy without issue.

Chloe's voice came over the radio, _"Sergeant? Medics are here to transport the baby to Memorial. If you don't need me for something, I'll follow them over and sit over there."_

"Go ahead Price." Turning back to the couple in front of her, do you have a basement?"

"We do," the husband said.

"Could you two please go down there, just for safety? You know, incase anything happens."

"Alright, I hope nothing happens though," the wife said.

"Me too, ma'am," Andy said. The couple headed off to their basement. "15 Sierra 3, can I get another unit to back us up for entry into a back yard?"

" _This is Diaz, we'll head your way, got another unit on the house."_

A minute later Diaz and Zettle pulled up. "Peck, Foxx, enter through the gate. Diaz and Zettle, with me, we go I through the house. We'll radio check when we are in position and go in on a three count." Nobody needed to say anything more. They all drew their guns and moved to position. Some would say that they should call for an entry team, since they didn't know what was waiting for them exactly. But Andy felt judging from the blood loss of the suspect, there wasn't enough time for that and she made her first major field decision to go in.

Once they were all in position Andy counted down from three. At one, Chris opened the door and Andy led out with Marcy fanned out to her Left and behind, Chris formed up behind her on the right. Peck and Foxx came around the corner of the house and signaled that they had something.

"We got him, he's dead. Up against the side of the house over here," Foxx said.

They holstered their weapons and Andy went to check out the body. He was definitely dead, bled out from a large gash in his neck caused by a shard of glass from the windshield he flew through.

"I guess he should have worn his seat belt," Gail remarked.

"What happened to your 'real cops don't wear seat belts' attitude?", Chris asked.

Gail glared at him.

Andy spoke up, "I'll call it in and get a detective down here. Peck, Foxx, you two sit on it and brief the D when they get here. Diaz and Zettle, get back to the house and give me an update."

"You got it," Diaz said and he and Zettle headed back to their squad and took off back down the street.

"You two good here?" Any asked Gail and Jake.

"Oh, yeah. Nothing like sitting on a body."

"Good, I'll probably head back to the scene and coordinate with the people down there."

Andy walked back to her truck, climbed in and called in the body and its location.

" _Copy 15 Sierra 3, detectives are en route."_

Andy flipped the truck around and drove back to the scene. She got out and walked up to the house. "Diaz, what's going on?"

One of the firefighters just came out, the house was empty, for sale actually. Officer Young took out the yard sign before crashing into the house."

"That's good news, any word on her?"

"They're working on cutting her out, she appears to be unconscious. Medics standing by," he pointed to the ambulance parked at the curb. "They said they should have her out in just a few minutes."

"Any visible injuries?"

"They didn't say anything about that."

Andy's phone rang, it was Sam. "Hey Sam," she answered.

"Hey there, I heard over the radio about the accident. Oliver's gearing up to head over there."

"Are you coming by as well?"

"No, Oliver's got me and Dov going Memorial. There was a baby in the suspect car?"

"Yeah, unsecured in the trunk."

"Ah, hell. What kind of a person would do that?"

"I don't know, but he's dead." Neither said good riddance or that he got what he deserved because they both had to be professional, but they both felt it and knew the other did too.

"Well," Sam continued, "you have a traffic detective heading your way. S.I.U. will be on it to.

"Oh, joy," Andy remarked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, just wanted to check in before we got to the hospital."

"Chloe's there with the baby, she'll probably know more than I do."

"We'll talk to her. Take care honey, love you."

"Love you too."

Andy clicked off and on cue, the firefighters emerged from the house with Young on a backboard. The medics were rushing to meet them with a stretcher. Andy rushed up to meet them too. "How is she?", she asked as they set her down on the stretcher.

"Looks like a broken nose," Lieutenant Madic said, "probably from the air bag. Also, a significant bump with a bruise forming on her head. Maybe a concussion, could explain the unconsciousness."

The medics had finished strapping her to the stretcher and one of them spoke up. "We'll get her vitals when we get her hooked up in the rig, know more then."

"I got to stay here, but I'm gonna send a couple officers to follow you. If you learn anything can you let them know at the hospital so they can relay it to me?" They were moving back towards the ambulance.

"Sure thing." The medics loaded her in and Andy turned to find Diaz and Zettle had followed them.

"You want us to go?", Diaz asked.

"Yeah, let me know anything."

They nodded and hustled back to their squad car.

Now Andy had to wait of the detectives and Oliver to get there. One hell of a first day. And it wasn't over yet.


	14. Chapter 14

Oliver pulled up on scene and parked his truck behind Andy's. Sunlight was beginning to depart and it wasn't even that late in the afternoon yet. Coming up on December, the days were only going to get shorter. While he would miss the daylight, he loved December because of the holiday season. And this year Oliver was planning something special.

He walked over towards the back end of the squad car still sticking out of the house and found a detective taking pictures and making notes. The detective turned to him and offered his hand, Oliver shook it. He introduced himself as Aaron Carter from SIU. Carter was a middle-aged man, a long-time SIU Detective. Oliver recognized the name but had never met him. Of the Special Investigations Unit, Carter was one of the few that had a reputation for being pretty well-liked outside of the unit.

"Good thing this house was vacant," Carter said.

"Yeah, great thing," Oliver remarked. A pause followed, neither really had much to say. A whole lot of uncertainty surrounded this situation and with the suspect dead and Officer Young unconscious in the hospital, Carter was unlikely to get a whole lot of clarity soon.

Carter broke the silence, "There's a Traffic Detective down at the suspect car, name's Mitchell, she might have something more for you."

"Alright, thanks. I'll be around if you need me."

Oliver wandered down to the car that was still on its side. He noticed a couple tow trucks parked on the next street, waiting for the go-ahead to haul away the wrecks.

The Traffic unit was housed out of a different division so Oliver didn't know Detective Mitchell at all. She was young, probably recently minted and assigned there. "Detective? I'm Staff Sergeant Shaw, 15 Division."

"Lindsey Mitchell, Traffic." They shook hands.

"What have you got?"

"The car is registered to an Edith Clarke, out of Barrie. Marked stolen. I called up there and they are sending a unit to her house to check in on her. Hopefully hear back soon."

"Maybe that's what caught Officer Young's attention."

"Good bet. Judging by the skid marks and groves in the yard I believe this car left the road trying to make a turn, got loose and flipped like this. The officer swerved and tried to brake but got up in that yard and plowed into the house."

Oliver followed her hand as she indicated her reconstruction and nodded at the end. "Well this is your area of expertise, I'll take your word."

She smiled a bit and then dropped dons by the windshield again. "One more thing, have a good amount of blood here where the driver was ejected. Supports your officer's conclusion on C.O.D."

"Alright. Speaking of them, do you know where Sergeant McNally is?"

"Yeah, I remember her from the academy, nice to see her moving up as well. She's down with the body."

"Which is where?"

"In the back yard of the house with the coroner van in front."

"Thanks," Oliver laughed at himself. "I should have been able to figure that out, being in the white shirt must be making me rusty,"

"Don't sweat it, it's been a long day for everyone."

* * *

Oliver trudged down the street and trough the fence which Andy was leaning against on the other side.

"Hey Staff," Andy greeted him.

"McNally. I saw Detective Mitchell down by the car, she working the D.B. too or…?

"Yeah, he died of blood loss from his injuries from the accident so traffic took it."

"What's the word on Officer Young?"

"I sent Chris and Marcy with the Ambulance. They told me they were rushing her in for and MRI and Cat scan. Probably a lot of other tests, too. Fire and rescue thought she had a concussion."

"They're checking for anything as a result of the trauma. Did you give your statements?"

"Yep, talked to both detectives. Lindsey Mitchell and I were in the academy together, I didn't know she made detective. It was nice seeing her again, we'd kind of fallen out of touch."

"Yeah, it's funny. I remember guys from the academy that I lost contact with too. In a city like this, you could practically go your whole career and only run into a small portion of the entire service. What with all the divisions and specialty units. Anyway, you can get out of here if you want. Sam and Epstein are still at the hospital with the baby last I know. Price too."

"Sounds good, I'll just check in with the D's one last time then head over there."

"I'll be there later but it might be late given all of this," Oliver waved this arm around signaling the three separate scenes and investigations going on.

"Well, in case I don't see you later tonight, I'll see you tomorrow," Andy said.

"Oliver clapped her on the shoulder, "Take it easy McNally. And try to stay out of trouble, we don't need any more adventure tonight."

Andy smiled and gave a playful salute. "Yes, sir." She turned around and walked out of the yard.

Oliver looked around again, let out a sigh, and pulled out his phone. He quickly accessed his recent calls and tapped on Celery's name. She answered after the second ring.

"Hey Darling, how's your day been?"

Celery filled him in on a house cleansing she had done that day. Oliver didn't quite understand all the science behind her methods but he was intrigued by it and all the exotic materials she had to acquire to use. The fact that people paid large amounts of money for these services was a nice touch too.

"That's great, listen I know we were planning on doing some preliminary planning tonight but something came up at work."

"Oh, no. Is everything okay?"

"Well an officer is in the hospital along with an unidentified baby. A stolen car is overturned in the street, the driver was ejected and is dead. Oh, and a squad car is in a house. Soooo…"

"Wow, you got a lot on your plate. I hope your officer is okay, are you going to the hospital?"

"Yeah, I'll have to later, but I might be stuck here awhile."

"Call me when you get there, I could come join you if you want."

"Yeah, maybe, if it's not too late. I love you, honey."

"I love you, Oli. And don't worry about the planning, we have plenty of time still."

"I know, it's no big deal."

"What is a big deal is your surprise. Is that still lined up?"

"Yeah, down to the hour, in fact. Give or take."

"That's great."

"I'll call you later, take care."

Oliver hung up and went to find Mitchell again.

* * *

A couple more hours passed and finally both detectives and the coroner said they had all they needed and gave the word to clear the scenes. Both tow trucks moved in and the cars were taken off. Crime scene tape was placed around the house and the gaping whole blocked out until the construction crew could come in the next day. Oliver made arrangements to park a unit on the house overnight to make sure nobody went in.

Mitchell walked to Oliver, who was sitting in his truck.

"Just heard back from Barrie P.D. Mrs. Clarke verified that the car is hers. Of interesting note, she reports she hasn't heard from her son in a couple days, he sometimes borrowed the car but never without checking with her first. Her description that Barrie P.D. relayed to me is our vic. His name is Sean Adams but Mrs. Clarke re-married after his father died. He sometimes lived in their basement.

"Huh. So he steals his mom's car and drives down here. Where does the baby fit in?"

"I don't know. Mom says he has no kid, doesn't even have a girlfriend that she knows of. Anyway, I know you have some guys working the baby angle so I thought I'd pass this along to ya."

"Thanks Detective, I appreciate it."

She smiled and walked away.

Lots of initiative in that one, Oliver thought to himself. He was no longer needed at the scene anymore and decided to head to the hospital. First, he pulled out his phone and called Sam.

"Hey Sam," Oliver said after his best friend picked up. "The scene is cleared. You still at the hospital?

"Yeah," Sam began. They're still running the baby through some tests, you know, making sure she's all right on the inside. I got Dov and Chloe looking through Amber Alerts. She's very young but no hospitals anywhere around here report a missing baby.

"Does that search reach up to Barrie?" Oliver interrupted.

"Uh, yeah, why? You got something on Barrie?"

"Yeah, maybe something. I'll fill you in when I get there, I'm on my way. Anything on Officer Young?"

Diaz and Zettle came in with her, Andy's down with them. Last I heard, they were waiting for the MRI results."

"Let me know if anything cracks on the baby, I'll be there soon."

"See ya brother."

Oliver disconnected and called Celery back.

"Hey, I'm done at the scene. I'm going to swing by the hospital."

"You want me to come and sit with you?"

"Nah, it's getting late, and I don't think I'll be there that long. Just checking in and relaying some information more than anything. I think I've about hit my usefulness for the day," Oliver joked lightly. "I'll see you in a little bit.

"I Love you. Be careful."

"I will. Love you too."

When Oliver was about 5 minutes from the hospital his phone rang again. The screen said 'Sam'.

"Hey, Sam I'm almost there. What's up?" Oliver listened for a few seconds, flipped on the siren, and mashed the accelerator.


	15. Chapter 15

Sam disconnected from Oliver and went back to the conference room that Dov and Chloe were set up in. He stepped in and Dov looked his way about to say something until he saw the look on Sam's face.

"What happened?", Dov asked.

"It's young, they found bleeding in her brain, they are taking her into surgery. They're worried about a stroke."

"Jesus," Dov began, "does she have any family here?"

"She was single, that's all I know. So far, it's just us. I'm going down there, Shaw's on his way. You two keep working this, I'll let you know if something happens."

"Will do," Chloe replied.

Sam was halfway down the hall to the elevators when he stopped, turned around, and ran back to Dov and Chloe. "Shaw told me that he may have something linking the baby to Barrie, I don't know what. I'll get it from him when he gets here, but see if you can use that info somehow."

Sam ran back to the elevators and jabbed the call button a few times, got tired of waiting, and went for the stairs. He jogged the few floors down to the E.R. waiting room and emerged into a crowd of officers. Word had gotten out and spread quickly. Sam remembered a similar scene when everyone was here for Jerry. The thought choked him up for a moment. He composed himself and sought out Andy.

He found her slouched in a chair facing the windows. He squatted down beside her.

"Anything new?", Sam asked.

Andy shook her head and put her head in her hands.

Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and comforted her. They stayed like that until Sam saw Oliver walk through the door, scan the room, and head their way. "Oliver's here," he lightly told Andy.

Andy lifted her head and stood up with Sam to talk with their boss.

"What's the latest?", Oliver asked.

Andy spoke up, "They rushed her back to the O.R. They would say anything except they had to go now and they would try their best."

"Is her family here? Next-of-kin?"

"Not yet," Andy responded. "I've got Chris and Marcy trying to track that down."

"Well then, I guess we wait." Oliver, Andy, and Sam all sat down.

"Oliver," Sam began, "I've still got Dov and Chloe working the baby girl, what's up with Barrie?"

"Detective Mitchell from Traffic got this information from Barrie P.D. The deceased driver of the car stole it from his mother who lives up there. His name is Sean Adams, her name is Edith Clarke. She re-married. Barrie informed her of her son's death, she's coming down tomorrow."

"We'll talk to her, but how does the baby fit in?", Sam asked.

"Don't know, mother said he has no children, doesn't even believe he has a girlfriend."

Sam's phone beeped, a text from Epstein _. 'Baby's test came back. Significant neurological damage,_ _suspect shaken baby.'_

"I got to go back upstairs, Dov says they think the baby was shaken," Sam informed the group.

"Ah hell," Oliver muttered. "From the accident or before?"

"Didn't say, I'll go get some more details, and I'll pass along the Barrie information."

Sam walked over to the elevators, this time the doors opened immediately. When he got to the conference room, he found the doctor in charge of the baby's care standing next to the door.

"Detective Swarek," the doctor greeted him. "I just got done telling your officers that the baby girl has significant neurological damage. Unresponsive eyes, tremors, irritability, some signs of paralysis, even some seizures. All of those symptoms point to shaken baby syndrome."

"Can you tell if it was from the accident or before?"

"Oh, this happened before. Some of the symptoms are rather advanced. I'm afraid the quality of life for this poor child won't be very good."

Sam clenched his fists in anger. He turned to Dov and Chloe, "You guys got anything, yet?"

"Afraid not," Dov replied. "There's nothing here," he indicated the mess of papers scattered across the table.

"Doctor, can we get a DNA sample from the baby? I want to get it to our lab."

"No problem, Detective. I'll send it with a nurse right away."

"Thanks," Sam said as the Doctor left the room. Turning back to Dov and Chloe, "Okay, guys, here's what we got on Barrie…"

Sam filled them in and when he was done he told them to pack up here and rush that sample to the lab when it comes, have it ran against the driver, Sean Adams. Sam glanced at his watch. "It's not too late yet, I want it run tonight, don't take 'no' for an answer. We need to have this figured out when Mrs. Clarke comes in tomorrow."

Dov and Chloe said they'd handle it and Sam left to head back down to the elevator. Again, it opened right up. Maybe the night was turning around, Sam mused to himself. As he pushed the button for the main floor, his phone rang. It was Oliver. He answered but the call was breaking in-and-out. Reception wasn't that good in the elevator shaft. "Oliver… Brother, I can't hear you. I'm heading back down, I talk to you in a minute." He disconnected and when the car came to a stop and let him out, he walked in to the fear he'd been trying to keep buried. Officers silent with thousand-yard stares, some struggling to stay composed, others huddled in small groups quietly trying to comfort each other. He found Andy sitting with Oliver in one of the latter. Peck and Foxx had joined them. He hustled over and squatted down in front of his wife.

She tried to speak but couldn't get anything out between the sobs. She didn't need to, Sam knew. He looked to Oliver "What happened?"

"They, um, lost her on the table." Oliver let a few tears run down his cheeks, sniffled, and recomposed himself. "Too much hemorrhaging in the brain."

They all processed that for a minute then Sam asked, "Do Diaz and Zettle know? Have they found a relative?"

"I let them know, they identified a brother in London. They were reaching out to London P.D. to make the notification."

"Okay, I'll fill in Epstein and Price." He whipped out his phone and composed a brief text to Dov. He kissed Andy on the top of her head and cradled her into his arms.

"I've got Epstein and Price taking a DNA sample from the baby to our lab to run again the driver. Just to nail that loose end down before his mother comes in."

Oliver nodded, "Good call."

Nobody else said anything for a while. There was nothing left to say.

* * *

The next day, parade was understandably muted as a heavily somber mood hung over the division, over the whole service, for that matter. Anytime an officer died in the line of duty, support poured in from all over. Every officer in the Service as well as the fire department had wrapped a black band around their badge, and got back to work. Because that's what first responders do.

Oliver didn't have much to offer so he just took role and announced the parings. "Everybody, stay safe today and keep everyone else safe," was how he concluded before returning to his office."

Sam kissed Andy good bye and told her he was here if she needed anything. Dov was already at their desks when Sam got there.. "Did we get those test results back yet?", Sam asked.

"Yep, they just got dumped a few minutes ago, while we were in parade."

Sam opened it up and looked at the results. A match, Sean Adams was the baby's father. "Have you see the results?"

Dov nodded.

"Well, at least we know the poor girl has family," Sam said. "If the doctor is right, she is really going to need it." Family Services had custody over the baby right now so Sam shot the case worker an email on the findings. Ms. Clarke was due in soon so Sam and Dov sat, waiting for her to arrive.

* * *

Oliver was sitting in his office trying to rub a building headache away when his phone rang. He reached for it blindly, missed the first time, but grabbed the receiver on his second try. "Yeah, this is Shaw," he answered.

"Hello Staff Sergeant, this is Detective Carter from SIU."

"What can I do for you Detective?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for your squad's loss. And don't worry, we won't be investigating anything any further. I've cleared the whole incident and signed off on it."

"I happy to hear that Aaron."

"Yeah, well, her actions probably saved that Baby's life. If she had slammed in to that car, I shudder to think what would have happened to that poor kid."

"As it turns out, the baby has some neurological damage. The docs think she was shaken before the accident."

"That's just fuckin' awful. How could a person do that?"

"I don't know man, it's a sick world sometimes."

"Yeah. Well, anyway, we all know Young was a hero. And there won't be anything that besmirches that from us."

"I appreciate it Aaron."

"Take care of yourself, and your squad." Carter clicked off and Oliver placed the receiver back in its cradle and let out a sigh. Maybe a little relief? He was really dreading having to tell Young's brother that his heroic sister was facing possible investigation from SIU. Part of the immense weight of everything that had transpired in the last day just came off his shoulders. He gathered himself and got back to work. He had to lead, that's what everyone was looking up at him to do and that's what he would do.


	16. Chapter 16

Sam and Dov were wrapping up their interview with Mrs. Clarke. She was very broken up over her Son's death, understandably so. She was also completely blindsided by the revelation that she has a granddaughter.

"I understand this has been a lot to process Mrs. Clarke," Dov said.

"Yes, it has," she agreed. "It just seems so surreal."

"I'm going to give you my card so you can call me if you think of anything." Sam fetched one out of his wallet and grabbed another one out of the folder he was holding. "This is the card for the case worker from Family Services that is in charge of your granddaughter's case. She is expecting a call from you, but you can take a little time if you need it."

"Thank you, detectives. I'll give her a call. And I'll try to think of anything else. But I really don't think there will be anything else. Clearly my son and I weren't that close." She began crying again and Dov handed the nearby box of tissues to her. When she had composed herself, they walked her out.

"So that's it, we're done with it?"

"Pretty much, it's out of our hands," Sam answered. "The baby's is under Family Services jurisdiction now, there is no case left. And there is no way we are going to find the mother, since no hospitals had a birth record for her. Home birth, or something else. Regardless, the trail is cold."

"It just feels weird leaving something so open?

"Yeah, it's not easy to accept but you get better at it. You'll see a lot more of this before you hang 'em up, Epstein."

They got back to their desks and sat down.

Dov asked, "What's our next case?"

* * *

The next couple days had been more of the same dreariness that accompanied any situation like this. Sam wasn't close to Young, especially, but he definitely felt it. When Jerry died, Sam's destructive spiral almost cost him everything. He felt awful knowing that Young's family and friends would be going through the same things now.

Finally, the day of the funeral came. The majority of the Service, save for those assigned to duty, came out in their dress uniforms. Members from the O.P.P., R.C.M.P., Toronto Fire Rescue, and law enforcement from across the country were there as well. Andy and Sam slid in next to Oliver and Celery. Most of 15 Division was seated nearby. Dov and Chloe were just in front of them. Zettle and Foxx off to their side. Peck and Anderson behind and to the side. Andy looked around trying to see who else she could spot. She saw Marlo across the room sitting with people from headquarters. Frank and Noelle were over in that direction as well as Luke. She nudged Sam.

"Did you know Marlo was going to be here?", Andy motioned towards the other side of the sanctuary.

Sam glanced where Andy indicated. "Yeah, I figured she might be. She and Young were in the same academy class."

Andy nodded and looked to the door at the back of the sanctuary as it opened and Traci and Chris walked in. they sat two rows behind Andy and Sam and she wondered why they didn't take the seat right behind them. Then the door opened again and Andy's father, Tommy, walked in and took the vacant seat behind her. She reached back to hug him and he kissed her on the cheek.

The service began a couple minutes later and was filled with friends and fellow officers sharing stories. The Chief of Police gave a final eulogy in which he closed with "…and Officer Young's heroic sacrifice, saved the life of an innocent, victimized, baby girl, who deserves a life of happiness. Officer Young, you gave that to her, and in doing so embodied what is to serve and protect. Embodied who we all strive to be when we put on this uniform. I think I speak for everybody when I say how greatly we are honored to have served with you. Officer Young, rest easy. We'll take it from here." He departed the pulpit and returned to his seat, stopping to place a hand on the shoulder of Young's brother.

The service closed as the honor guard carried Officer Young's flag draped casket out of the church with a trailing officer carrying her cap on a cushion. The officers and the rest of the attendees filed out orderly and silently with those that would be carrying on to the cemetery forming up to proceed down the blocked off streets. The march was solemn and chilly but the sun was shining the whole way. Later, Young's friends would remark that she would have approved of that highly.

The entire march was lined with Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and the citizens of the Toronto that came out to pay respects to a fallen officer. Andy felt overwhelmed by the support the City gave when it lost one of its own. At the cemetery, Andy and Sam stood behind and off to the side of the chairs assembled, letting her brother, friends, close co-workers, and higher-ups fill them in. After final prayers and ceremony, the final act was presenting the flag and cap to Young's brother who received them and thanked the honor guard for all they did.

Andy and Sam filed out with the majority of those gathered leaving those closest to her some time and privacy. They walked back to the truck which was strategically parked half-way between the church and the cemetery. When they were back in and trying to navigate the congestion of the departing crowds, Andy remarked that the service was very beautiful.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "the Chief spoke very well."

"I didn't know her, really. But after today, I feel like I did, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I feel the same. The whole thing, ceremony, march, burial rites.

"Everything went just right. Really, the least we could do for her."

* * *

By the end of the week, the events of that awful day had been put together. Officer young ran the plates of the car seventeen seconds before she radioed in a pursuit. The Crime Scene guys say she broke and swerved hard to avoid hitting the car when it was obvious it would lead to her crashing through the house. Recovered video from the dash cam reveals Sean Adams placing a bundle in the trunk when Young turned around a corner behind him. Nobody could tell from the video what the bundle was but Young must have been able to, or assumed at the very least. The video also showed that in the moment of truth, Young showed no hesitation in swerving into the house with a realtor sign in the front yard to avoid the car. Brave, quick thinking, and heroic to the very end.

The following week Sam wrapped up a minor case with Dov regarding fraudulent credit cards. Andy's days went much smoother and she fell into a comfortable routine. The calendar had turned to December and a big day at 15 had finally arrived.

Zettle and Foxx stood at attention on the squad room floor. The rest of the platoon stood gathered around with Diaz and Peck standing behind their respective rookies. Oliver stood in front of them explaining that they had both had demonstrated the ability and traits ended to do this job. "And now a time-honored tradition of 15 Division. Coppers, cut those ties. Diaz and Peck obliged and everyone applauded and congratulated the newest no-longer rookies.

"One more thing," Oliver spoke up above the commotion. Today is also the end of Dov Epstein's training rotation with Detective Swarek. And what do you know, Epstein? You did such a fine job that I've decided to keep you there. And even better, Detective Swarek has agreed to keep you as his partner." Another round of applause and congratulation came. "Final thing," Oliver said when the voices died down. "Tonight, The Black Penny, be there. A celebration for our graduates." The loudest applause and cheer came after that announcement which elicited a laugh out of Oliver. "Enough of that. Get out there everyone, do your jobs. Serve, protect, and get to the Penny on time."

That night at the Penny, as the celebration was winding down, Oliver came around Sam and Andy's table and discreetly handed an envelope to Sam. "That is an invitation for a Christmas Party at the cabin. Inner-sanctum only so keep it on the D.L."

"The 'inner-sanctum'?", Sam asked unable to contain a smile.

"Yeah, our group."

Andy and Sam both knew what he meant but put on faces or confusion to try to drag him on.

"Okay, I'll break it down. Us, the rookies from Andy's class, maybe some old friends, and plus ones."

"Oh, the 'inner-sanctum'," Andy said nodding in understanding. Then she and Sam began to chuckle and Oliver figured it out.

"You guys are pulling my leg. Ha-ha very funny. You two better bring a fine bottle of scotch to make up for this."

"You can count on us," Sam said raising his glass.

* * *

The next day at work Sam checked his email and found an email from the case worker assigned to Baby Adams. Her grandmother had assumed custody of her, and as a nurse, Family Services was confident that baby Lacey, as she was now named, would be taken care of. Sam smiled, forwarded the email to Dov and Oliver, the called Andy to tell her the good news. That was what everyone needed right now.


	17. Chapter 17

A couple weeks had gone by since that celebration at the Penny and it was now mid-December and Oliver's Christmas party at his cabin was only a couple days away, on the weekend. Andy and Sam both loved the Holiday season and were thrilled to be having their first Christmas as husband and wife. Andy had put up decorations around their apartment and she and Sam were on their way to pick out a tree after shift.

There was a layer of snow on the ground from a moderate snow fall over night which, in Sam and Andy's shared opinion, was a perfect touch for the occasion. "Remember Sweetheart, we have to get a tree that we can get in to the apartment." Sam indicated the area of the lot devoted to the larger trees and said, "So I vote to avoid those trees."

"I suppose that's a reasonable request," Andy said. "But in that case, you'll be the one getting the tree inside. I'll supervise."

Sam chuckled, "Ah, the great art of compromise."

They grabbed each other's gloved hands and walked through the aisles looking at every tree. Andy wouldn't settle until she felt perfect about a tree. Sam expected nothing less.

* * *

The following morning Andy woke up and the smell of a pine tree out in the main room made her smile with glee. Sam was already up, probably out with Boo, Andy figured. However, when she got out to the main room, she found Sam had made coffee and set out the tree decorations.

"You've been busy this morning," Andy said as she accepted a mug of coffee, prepared the way she liked, from Sam.

"We got a lot to do today McNally." They both had the day off and had to decorate the tree and do some shopping. The downside of a Christmas party before Christmas was that one had to get gifts before it. Sam had always preferred to hold it off to the last couple days because shopping wasn't really his thing. But that wasn't an option this year.

Over a breakfast of a bacon and eggs skillet, they planned out the stores they would hit and what they needed to get for everyone. When they got back, they would decorate the tree.

"Let me check off the list one more time," Andy requested. "We've got Oliver and Celery-"

"Plus the scotch," Sam interrupted.

"Right, the scotch," Andy said as she scribbled it on to the list. "Moving on. Traci, Chris, Dov, and Chloe covered. Gail too, and Frankie."

"I think that's everybody that'll be there."

"I wish Oliver wouldn't be keeping this so secretive," Andy said. "What if someone else is invited and we don't have anything for them?"

"Then it's a good thing Christmas will still be a week away," Sam grinned.

"I'll just feel really bad if we get a gift and don't have one to give in return."

"If that happens, which I don't think it will, whoever it is will understand."

"If you say so. But just so you know, I'll blame you if I have to," Andy smiled.

"Fair enough," Sam consented.

"Alright, party list taken care of. Now the family one. Dad's taken care of, got a card for Sarah. Are you sure that's all we should send?"

"Andy, she's only going to send us a card. Until she and I patch our relationship up, that's the way it is."

"Okay," Andy sighed. "What about Marlo and Mia?"

"Card for Marlo," Sam supplied. Mia's getting a bunch of outfits, and the new play pen. That one with those play-mirror things hanging down from above. Also, working with Marlo to arrange a time for us to have Mia. Maybe Christmas Eve, not sure yet."

"Cool, I think that's everyone, right?"

Sam took note that Andy didn't resist only sending a card to Marlo, their relationship was still a little tense. "I can't think of anybody else. I'll wash these dishes while you get ready. Then we can get this over with," Sam teased.

* * *

The shopping wasn't as painful as Sam imagined it would be. Andy did most of the leg work, he just supplied the credit cards. The one thing he picked out was the Scotch. A bottle of Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye. That would hit the spot. When they returned home later that afternoon Andy decided that they should wrap the gifts before they start in on the tree.

Sam, being the loyal husband he was, didn't object and got to work. However, his wrapping abilities weren't up to Andy's snuff so she soon re-assigned him to cutting the paper and handing her tape when she needed it.

A couple hours later all was wrapped and were separated into the party pile and the others.

"Alright, time for the tree," Andy declared.

"Perhaps after some dinner," Sam said pointing at the clock on the wall. Almost 8 o'clock. I took the liberty of ordering some Chinese while you were busy organizing everything. It should be here soon."

"Good thinking, I guess I lost track of time."

"Maybe just a bit," Sam held his thumb and forefinger barely apart. They sat back on the couch and Boo hopped up into an easy chair off to the side until the buzzer rang signaling the delivery man was there. Sam went down to meet him and returned with the food. After the dinner of chicken egg foo young and shrimp fired rice they got to work on the tree. Sam ran the garland and lights around the tree while Andy hung up the ornaments. She set aside the star for last and they placed it atop the tree together. Sam plugged the tree in and, miraculously, he couldn't spot a bulb that didn't light up.

He stepped back and admired the view. "Well McNally, I must say, you did a real fine job."

Andy had surveyed the whole tree a couple times for herself making sure everything was just right and had no choice but to concur. "You didn't do too bad yourself."

* * *

That Saturday, the night of the party had finally rolled around. Oliver arranged it so the platoon was working early, letting them head up to the cabin after shift and working late the next day so they could recover from the likely late night. Oliver had taken the whole day and he and Celery headed up to the cabin early to make sure all was in order. Right as they pulled up, Oliver received a text.

"Is that them?", Celery asked.

"Yep. Everything is on schedule."

"Perfect, you can finally stop worrying about slipping up and ruining the surprise."

"You think I was worrying?"

"I know you were."

Oliver chuckled, "Yeah I guess I was." He wrapped celery up and kissed her. As they walked up to the door Oliver asked, "Was I really letting it show that bad?"

"No, but I could tell."

"Maybe, since you are in on it you were worrying some too, huh?"

"Me? Worry?", Oliver made a 'pffft' sound then smiled and shook his head at Celery as he held the door open for her.

* * *

The food had been prepped, table set, Drinks displayed, gifts laid out, and decorations and entertainment set up by the time the first set of headlights swept across the front windows. Oliver opened the door and walked out on the porch to greet the arrivals. Chris, Dov, and Chloe, emerged from Diaz's truck. Chloe left the guys to get the gifts out of the truck and went up to greet Oliver.

"Looking good price," Oliver said as she approached.

Chloe laughed, she was bundled up in enough winter gear that her figure was completely unseen. "Thanks Staff, not looking to shabby yourself." They hugged and when Dov and Chris caught up with the bags of gifts and they all moved inside.

As the night carried on, Gail arrived with Frankie and finally Traci arrived with Sam and Andy who had given her a ride up.

"Hey Nash, nice to see you out in public again," Oliver teased.

"Thanks, Staff. It's on better terms this time." Traci moved through the room receiving hugs and greetings. She had been at the funeral but nobody had really gotten a chance to socialize or catch up.

"Let me take your coats," Oliver requested after he had already begun to remove the Swareks' coats. He disappeared with them into the guest room and Celery brought Traci's in. Back in the room, Oliver made announcements as if it were parade before lapsing back into his casual self. "Gifts go over by the tree. As many of you have already helped yourself to, the drinks are over there for your liking, speaking of…" He turned around to Sam who handed the bottle of Crown Royal over. "Not technically scotch but it'll do just fine," Oliver said. Please take a seat the food is ready to serve. Sam went over to the drinks and got one for him and Andy and then took his seat next to her and on the corner next to Oliver.

It wasn't until everyone was seated that Sam, and the rest of the party for that matter, seemed to notice the two additional chairs and place settings around the large table. Sam asked what was on everybody's mind. "Oliver? Did you miscount? It's okay, you know, if you did. Math can be hard." Everybody laughed, including Oliver, at his own expense."

"Well, as it so happens, I did not miscount." The guests all exchanged looks with one another.

"You're expecting two more?", Andy asked, her worries about not having enough gifts surfacing.

As if by fate, another pair of lights swept across the windows at the moment, accompanied soon after by two car doors closing.

"Yes, McNally, as a matter of fact we," he indicated himself and Celery, "are expecting two more guests."


	18. Chapter 18

Gail was not big on social gatherings with many people, neither was Frankie for that matter. Maybe that's why they worked okay together. They both had their small group of friends and they were comfortable with that. When Oliver got up to go to the door and everyone turned their heads to look and see who the guests were, Gail shared an uneasy look with Frankie instead. In fact, she didn't even look towards the door until Oliver said, "welcome back", to whoever was walking towards the door.

She thought to herself, _Welcome back?_ _Oh, no. It can't be. Can it?_ She looked that way and saw Juliet walk in, followed by Nick. "Son of a bitch," she muttered to herself.

Frankie placed a hand on Gail's leg, "Are you okay?"

"I'm not really sure yet." She had gotten over her Nick struggles with Holly In fact, it was because of Nick that she got together with Holly. She had nothing against Nick anymore, they had both moved on. But Juliet Ward still left an open wound. She understood that Steve did some bad things and Juliet was only doing her job. But Gail couldn't figure out how to be anything but cold towards her. Then again, Gail had that problem with a lot of people. "Go ahead, I'll be right behind you," she said to Frankie.

Everybody else got up and went to greet the new comers, Chloe arriving first and jumping into Nick for an excited hug. Dov said to Juliet, "Sorry, she's easily excitable." Ward laughed and Chloe gave her a hug next.

Gail slowly made her way towards the door, and approached Nick once the last of the others had greeted him.

"Hey Gail, how are- ?", Nick began to ask.

Gail surprised everybody, herself included, by wrapping Nick in a hug.

Nick returned the hug, and asked "Who are you and what did you do to the real Gail Peck?".

She punched him hard in the gut and said, "That's for leaving, again." It was then that Gail realized, even though her and Nick couldn't hack it as a couple, he still meant a lot to her and she had missed his friendship.

"Well, at least you didn't punch me in the eye again."

It was time to confront the elephant standing in front of her.

"Gail, it's good to see you," Ward knew the best she could hope for was a hand shake and to her relief Gail accepted.

"Of course, it is," Gail replied and returned to her seat next between Frankie and Chris, after a stop to refill her drink. She'd be doing that a lot tonight.

* * *

After Dinner had been served and everybody had a chance to get started on the meal, Oliver spoke up. "Nick, Juliet? Why don't you tell the class why you're back here? I think they are all wondering that."

Nick deferred to Juliet but she indicated that he could start. Yeah, um Juliet and I got over what happened between us and are getting serious. Basically, we agreed that she shouldn't do anymore undercover or I.A. work. So, if and when we start a family, she'll be around." Nick looked back to Juliet who spoke next.

"So why are we back on Toronto? I've been all over, I'm used to bouncing around and making a home in new places. Nick has his only relative here. And you guys are like the rest of his family. So, it felt right to come back here. If you'll have us."

Oliver picked it up, "Damn right you should be here. Nick, just because I encouraged you to chase after her didn't mean I was prepared to lose you. Although because you left, temporarily now as it was, it saved us from losing somebody at this table to a different platoon. But, that's a story for another day. Anyway, with McNally moving to road sergeant, there is an opening in the patrol roster. Nick will be taking that spot." More cheers and back slaps followed. When it began to subside, Oliver looked to Juliet. "And as for Ward, she's being detailed to Guns and Gangs as a plain-clothes officer and will be partnered with Nash."

Andy was a bit uneasy about that. Juliet wouldn't be a problem, personally. But her being around Nash everyday could bring up memories of Steve, which Traci didn't need drudged back up.

"Nash," Oliver continued, "you don't have to hold on to this secret anymore."

Traci sighed artificially heavily and said, "That's a relief."

"You knew?", Andy asked across the table. "Since when?"

"Shaw called me a couple days after I got out of the hospital and we talked about it. We agreed she would be a good partner for me. And, best of all, we get Nick back. No offense, Juliet," Traci said smiling at her new partner.

"No, none taken." She wrapped her arm through Nick's and said, "I know he's the real prize."

Andy gushed at the affection. She was thrilled to have Nick back, she missed his great friendship. And even more thrilled that he had someone he loved. Nick always told her they were good after their separation. But, Andy always felt a little guilty about getting involved with him when she had loved Sam all along. Now, seeing Nick and Juliet together, officially and serious, let her dispel any remaining guilt she had buried away.

"So, when Nash gets back after the holidays, Ward will start in Guns and Gangs. Until then, her and Collins will be starting back on patrol after Christmas," Oliver said.

"Well, alright then," Sam declared. "We're getting the band back together."

Everyone raised their glasses in a toast.

* * *

Gail stayed silent most of the party, only speaking when directly spoken to, and even then, not saying very much. She was focusing on processing everything that had happened in the last couple of hours. She thanked everyone for the gifts she was given and responded when people thanked her, she wasn't completely tuned out.

Nick and Juliet left the party first citing being tired after the flight from Vancouver and the rest of the busy day. The good thing, they said, is Nick still had his apartment so they didn't have to worry about that and had a place to ship their stuff from Vancouver to.

Traci wanted to get back home so she could pick up Leo from her mother's. Chris offered to give her a ride back with Dov, Chloe and him if Andy and Sam wanted to stay behind a little longer. She accepted that offer and the four said goodbye to everyone and got on their way.

A little while later Gail and Frankie decided to retire for the evening as well and said good bye to everyone, thanked Oliver and Celery for cooking and hosting before heading out to Frankie's car.

On the road, Frankie asked, "Do you want to talk?

"What's there to talk about?"

"Anything, whatever's on your mind.

After a long silence when it became apparent Gail wasn't going to say anything, Frankie said, "Fine. You don't talk to me. I just wanted to give you the opening to. But if you don't want to, that's okay too." She turned on the radio and flipped around until she found a station that came in okay out in the woods. She landed on a somewhat audible OneRepublic coming up on the bridge of "Counting Stars" and stopped there, waiting for Gail to open up, or not.

* * *

Oliver grabbed Celery and his two remaining guests a new drink and the four settled around the fire place.

"Quite the day, huh?", Oliver said after settling in.

"Yeah, brother. You really pulled one off this time," Sam said.

"You, Celery, and Traci knew. Anyone else?", Andy asked.

Oliver shook his head, "Nobody in the division. Just some H.R. people and Jarvis."

"You really out did yourself on this one," Andy said.

"How are you gonna back it up next Christmas?", Sam asked sarcastically.

Everyone laughed and Oliver said, "If we all stick together, then I'll never have to do anything like this again."

"You mean the surprise guests part. Not the hosting part. We will definitely be doing that again," Celery clarified.

"I'll drink to that," Sam said.

Everyone raised their glasses and Andy toasted, "To sticking together and many more parties here."

* * *

Somewhere on the way back Gail realized that she did want to talk about the night. But she wasn't sure where to start. Frankie and her had never talked like this before. They had fun together but didn't have the connection Gail had felt with Holly. One that let her open up, talk about feelings and emotions. Nevertheless, Gail recognized that Frankie was trying and she appreciated that. Now that they had reached the outskirts of the city Gail realized that she was running out of time to talk and decided to go for it. She reached to turn off the radio which had moved on to Maroon 5 working through "Maps". How fitting for her reminiscence of her time with Holly.

"I'm sorry," Gail began. "You're trying to let me open up and I'm shutting you out. That's not fair of me, I know. But you know that I'm not good at this."

"I do, Gail. I just don't want you to think you can't talk to me. If you don't want to talk that's one thing. But don't say nothing because you feel you can't."

"Right, okay, so here it goes. I'm afraid seeing Juliet every day is going to bring back to the forefront all of the stuff my brother did. Everything I've tried to put behind me. Everything you've tried to move past, your cases.

Frankie nodded. When Steve got convicted, every case they worked together got reopened. Almost, if not all of those cases were solid and done right. There was no corruption involved. But a defense attorney didn't need much to assert reasonable doubt when the lead detective was in jail, convicted of multiple counts of corruption.

"And as for me, my family has been driven apart. I've virtually been disowned by my father. My family has hit a ceiling now, my parents won't rise up any farther. Maybe that's a good thing for me, because I never wanted a white shirt or anything, but still… My point is, we have both tried to move on from that and put it behind us, out of our heads."

"I understand that, but Juliet didn't do any of this to us. That was Steve."

"I know that, that's part of the problem. I want to view Juliet as who she is. But every time I look at her, I just can't help but think of anything else. I don't hold Steve's arrest against her. Hell, Nick and I arrested him for Christ's sake."

"But, Steve was the only member of your family you were close to and now he's gone, and you're even further away from the rest of the family. Even if you don't blame her for the investigation and all that happened, you associate her with it. That's natural. In time, hopefully you'll be able to see Juliet for Juliet."

"Finger's crossed," Gail muttered

"Don't forget, she thumbed Oliver, not Steve."

"How can I? We risked our careers to prove him innocent."

"So maybe there is a bit more to the issue. You blame her for fingering Oliver, almost ruining him and the division, and setting everyone down this road."

"I don't know, she had to implicate somebody and the evidence said Oliver."

"Both of us probably would have done the same thing in her position."

Gail went silent, not wanting to admit that that was most likely true. She didn't speak again until they arrived at Frankie's place and had gotten out of the car. "What about you? You got me to open up and talk about my feelings. Do you want to talk about yours?"

Frankie arranged her thoughts and replied, "Gail, I'm not sure about any of this either. Maybe this is something we don't need to figure out right now. Just talking about it is a big step. We just need to be there for each other. And down the road, eventually everyone will be past this. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"We'll take each day as it comes. Deal?"

"Deal. What about tonight?"

They shared a kiss and then walked up to the door. "I don't know, shall we see what happens?"

Gail smiled for the first time in a while and kissed Frankie again.


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey Honey, we're getting Mia tonight after shift and then we'll meet back up with Marlo tomorrow night."

"Sounds good," Andy said from across the kitchen table. "I talked to Dad and told him we'd pick him up for lunch tomorrow. Speaking of which, we need to pick up the ham after shift today as well."

It was December 23rd and Sam had arranged with Marlo to have Mia on Christmas Eve. Sam and Andy both had to work Christmas so it worked out well with Marlo who was off. The couple was just finishing up breakfast and then they'd be off to work.

"When I take lunch today, I'll get it and swing back here to drop it off. Epstein can cover for me for a little bit if necessary," Sam said. "That way we can head straight to Hamilton and pick up Mia when shift's over."

"You've planned this all out, haven't you?"

"What? No, I just think fast on the fly."

"Nah, I don't buy that. You've put a lot of thought into all of this."

"Heh, yeah, you got me. I just want our first Christmas together to be great. And Mia's first Christmas, too."

"That's sweet, Sam. You better be careful, you wouldn't want your softer side to start showing to just everybody."

"Trust me, I've had some experience at burying things," Sam grinned widely.

* * *

They both laughed. Andy was the one person that knew just how much Sam could bury down within himself. But she had been able to get it all out of him eventually, with a few bumps along the way. But their relationship was worth the winding road it took to get here.

On the way to work, Sam's phone rang, it was Marlo. He handed it to Andy and she gave him an uncertain look before answering it.

"Hey Marlo, it's Andy. Sam's driving"

"Oh, Hi Andy. Listen, I told Sam you guys can pick up Mia tonight and bring her back tomorrow."

"Yeah…"

"Well, it turns out that instead of my sister coming down here for Christmas, I'm going head up there instead."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, so you can pick Mia up over there and bring her by my sister's place tomorrow. That will be easier for everyone."

"Yeah, of course. I'll tell Sam. About what time do you think you'll be up here?"

"I'm actually leaving soon, so when you two get off work, you can come by any time."

"Cool. We'll see you later then."

"Yep."

"Ok, bye." Andy disconnected and handed Sam back his phone.

"So Marlo's coming up here?", Sam asked as he made the turn in to 15's parking lot.

"Yeah, she'll be at her sister's house for the holiday so we can pick up and drop off Mia there."

"That works nicely." Sam parked and they both got out.

"She said she was just about to leave, so she should be here anytime," Andy said as they walked towards the door. "She sounded like she called on her way out the door, kind of rushed."

"Well, as of a couple hours ago she was going to stay in Hamilton. Sudden change of plans can make things hectic."

"Yeah, I know."

Sam opened the door and held it for his wife to enter then followed her in.

* * *

Sam and Dov were signing off on some case files when Sam got up and said he was heading out. "I might be a little while but if anything happens just call me."

"Got some errands to run?", Dov asked as he looked up from the papers on his desk.

"Yeah, I got to pick up a ham for tomorrow. We have Mia and Tommy is coming over."

"Nice. Don't worry I'll hold down the fort."

"I'm taking my truck in case you need the car for something."

"I don't think there is much going on for us today." So far, the whole day had been about paperwork.

"The glamorous life of a detective. Not always so glamorous," Sam said heading down the stairs from the D's office.

In the parking lot he pulled out his phone and dialed up a number on his missed call list.

"Hi, this is Sam Swarek. It's ready to be picked up?"

* * *

After picking up the ham and putting it in the fridge, Sam took off for an art studio downtown. He had contracted a painter to paint, on a much larger scale, a picture taken at Oliver's Cabin after the wedding. It showed both of them against the railing looking out at everyone gathered around them. Andy looked radiant in the photo, he could see the happiness that had radiated off her that night. He hoped the painting would capture that as well.

He walked into the studio and the guy Sam had hired popped out of a back room then led Sam back to see the painting. The portrait looked amazing and he was sure Andy would love it. The wait had been well worth it.

"That looks awesome man, better than I ever thought it could."

Sam payed the rest of what he owed for it and with carried it out to the truck. The challenge now would be finding a place to put it in the apartment. Oh, well. He was sure Andy would pick the best spot. He returned to the apartment and pulled out the remaining wrapping paper and carefully wrapped the portrait up as best he could and placed it by the tree. Andy would see it right away and he couldn't wait to see her look when she finally opened it. He closed the door and went back out to his truck to drive back to 15.

* * *

Almost back to 15, Sam stopped at a hot dog cart to grab a quick snack. When he got out of the truck, two guys were arguing with each other next to the stand, hot dogs in hand. Sam was heading over to ask them if everything was okay when one of the guys knocked the other's hotdog from his hand. That guy then got shoved in retaliation and soon both guys were on the ground grappling with each other on the street. People gathered to watch but didn't do anything else.

Sam unclipped his badge from his pocket, pointed it at the crowd, and said, "Somebody call the police, tell them there's a plain-clothes officer on scene." He noticed some of the people reach for their phones as he moved closer to the altercation.

One man, the larger of the two, had gotten the upper hand on the other combatant.

"Police! Break it up! Fight's over!" That approach didn't seem to make any in-roads. Sam sighed. Listen up idiots, if you wait for my backup to arrive, you will be pepper sprayed, or tazed. Oh, and that siren you hear is them rapidly approaching. So, make up your mind fast. Talk with me or wash out your eyes for the next few hours down at the station."

After a few more seconds, the men separated from themselves and Sam ordered them to sit down on the sidewalk. "Good choice guys." A squad from 15 pulled up and Diaz and Price got out. "Are wither of you hurt?", Sam asked the two men.

They both shook their heads.

"Okay then, do you want to tell me what led to the wrestling match?"

"He knocked my hot dog out of my hand!", the bigger man shouted.

"And he shoved me!", shouted the other.

"Yeah I saw all of that. What started the argument?"

Neither one said anything and they both looked away.

Sam looked around. Price was dispersing the crowd. Diaz was radioing in that the situation was under control. "Diaz, do me a favor and watch these two."

"You got it."

Sam walked over to the hot dog cart and talked to the operator. "Hi, there. I'm Detective Swarek, Metro Police. Neither one of them is being cooperative. I was hoping you might be able to fill me in on what I'm missing."

"Both of them bought a hot dog. The big guy loaded his up first and when the second guy got to the tray's there was no relish. He asked me if I had any more. When I said I didn't, he turned on the other guy. I guess he thought the big guy took too much relish."

"All of this over relish?"

The operator nodded.

"Wow. Okay, thanks for the help."

Sam walked back to the two men, Price had joined Diaz watching them. "Relish!? This is all about a condiment?"

"What?" Price asked.

Sam was about to explain when the smaller man made a comment about the bigger man's weight and then they were at it again. Diaz and Price moved in, separated, and restrained both men.

"Alright, you two culinary enthusiasts are under arrest for disorderly conduct and assault," Sam said. To Diaz and Price, "Get them back to the barn."

Diaz radioed for an additional squad for transport and Sam walked back to the hot dog cart. "Since I'm here, can I get a hot dog?"

Sam payed and received the plain hot dog. When he got to the condiment table and began loading it up, he asked. You really don't have relish, huh? That's a damn shame." He ate the hot dog in a couple bites, discarded the trash, and went back to his truck.

As the arresting officers, Diaz and Price would handle most of the paperwork but Sam still would need to provide a statement for the report. He turned the key and the truck came to life. Pulling away, he reflected back on his life in patrol. Incidents like this were a dime-a-dozen then. Not the case as a detective. Sam felt good to do some grunt police work again. As long as he wasn't wearing the itchy uniforms and high-riding belts.


	20. Chapter 20

Andy was waiting for Sam at his desk. Their shift had just ended but he wasn't around. She looked over to Oliver's office but he wasn't there. He wasn't in the squad room. Interrogation rooms maybe? She hadn't heard about any big arrest that would seem to need a detective to stay late to work on so she thought that unlikely. She was about to head that way, regardless when Sam walked from the hallway leading to the interview rooms. He noticed Andy waiting and quickened his pace. He climbed the stairs two-at-a-time to the D' office and approached his wife. They shared a kiss and Sam sat down to put a file away in his desk and log off the computer.

"Sorry I'm a little late. I was with Price and Diaz, finalizing paperwork on a couple arrests we made."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Two guys fighting over hotdogs?"

"Close, it was over relish."

Andy couldn't help but laugh.

"I know, I like relish as much as the next guy but I wouldn't get arrested over it. In fact, I ate a hot dog from there without relish. And look, I'm not in cuffs and still have my badge."

"So, it's possible to not get relish and carry on without fighting in the street. Huh. Well, I've learned something today."

They both chuckled and Sam stood up, wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, and together they left the building.

* * *

Together, they walked up the walkway to house of Marlo's sister. They rang the doorbell and Marlo answered shortly after. Andy's first impression was that Marlo looked worn out. Her hair was unkempt and her clothing disheveled.

"Hey guys, come in. I'll go get Mia, she's in her play pen."

They stepped inside and Andy also noticed that the house was also missing many staples of the Christmas season. Like decorations, a tree, or presents. Sam must have noticed it too.

"Thanks, Sam said. It's nice to see you again. Is your sister around?"

"No, she just went out," Marlo said walking towards Mia. "Why?"

"Oh, no worries. Just wanted to say hi to her if she was here."

"Oh, well, I'll tell her," Marlo said as she pulled Mia out of the play pen.

"Sam took her in his arms and made faces with her. Andy smiled at them. Then to Marlo, "Just to confirm, we'll have her tonight and tomorrow through the afternoon, and then we'll bring her back here tomorrow night."

"Uh, yeah, that sounds good," Marlo handed Andy Mia's diaper bag and Andy shouldered it.

Noticing the heft, Andy remarked, "Wow there's a lot of diapers in here, huh?"

"Yeah, and A lot of wipes," Marlo smiled."

Andy nodded, "Okay, well, hopefully we won't use too many in just one day with her."

"Well, you never know, do you?"

Sam spoke up, "Okay Marlo, thanks again for working this out with us. We'll take good care of her."

"I know you will."

Take it easy, Marlo," Andy said as they stepped back out the door.

"Yeah, you too, both of you."

"Bye Marlo. Say bye to Mommy, Mia," Sam said as he lifted Mia's arm to imitate a wave. Everyone smiled and Marlo closed the door when they turned around to walk back to the truck.

They buckled Mia in to the car seat in the back and ten got in the truck themselves. Once they had driven away Andy said, "Did you pick up on everything I did back there?"

"You mean Marlo's appearance, the house doesn't have any signs of Christmas…"

"Yeah that stuff, something just felt off."

"It felt like the house hasn't been lived in in a little while."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, that's what it felt like. So, do you think she lied about her sister just stepping out."

"I don't know."

"What do you think this means?"

"Again, I'm not sure."

"But we need to figure it out, right. I mean, given Marlo's condition and the sudden change in plans…"

"Yes, we need to figure out what's going on. And not just for Marlo," Sam said, indicating Mia in the back seat. "But, it's possible that Marlo appearance is because she is just tired, not a reach with a baby girl. It's possible that Marlo's sister just got back from a trip and that's why the house still feels kind of empty and s lacking decorations. It's also possible that It was easier for Marlo to come her than her sister go to Hamilton."

"I get that you don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I'm telling you, I get a bad feeling about this."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, I feel that too. Which is why we are going to get to the bottom about what is going on. But we're going to approach this with an open mind and under the assumption that everything is fine, until we have concrete evidence to the contrary."

"Spoken like a detective," Andy smirked.

"I guess I've picked up a few things," Sam smiled back at her, grabbed her hand in his, and drove home.

* * *

Andy stepped into the apartment first, followed by Sam Carrying Mia. Immediately she noticed the large present under the tree. "Sam, what is that?"

Sam mimicked a face of confusion. "How did that get in here?"

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." He would have put both hands up but since he was holding Mia he simply shrugged.

Andy fixed him with a scrutinizing look. "I thought we agreed nothing big for each other. We were going to keep it simple."

"And we are keeping it simple. It's not a big deal, really. It's been in motion for a while, long before we made that agreement."

"What am I going to do with you?", Andy smiled.

Sam leaned into a kiss. "Hopefully more of that."

Andy took Mia while Sam went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

* * *

After a game of peek-a-boo, Mia was growing tired. Seeing her yawn made Andy yawn and realize she could take a nap as well. She set Mia down in her crib, curled up on the bed, and drifted off to sleep.

Sam found them both that way when he had finished meal preparations a little while later. He didn't want to wake either of them since it was still early enough that there was plenty of time for dinner but he took one too many steps into the room and the floor creaked waking Mia and Andy almost simultaneously.

Andy popped up and Sam apologized. "I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't want to wake you two. You were both so beautiful and peaceful."

"It's okay, how long were we out."

"A little over 30 minutes probably. Enough time for me to finish dinner.

"I am hungry now that you mention that. What did you throw together?"

"Well for us, some pasta with marinara sauce, garlic bread, and a side salad. For Mia, well, something mushy. I'll have to check the fridge."

"I think we have some chicken with vegetables or turkey with sweet potatoes in there."

Sam picked Mia up out of the crib and asked, "Does that sound good?"

Mia made a couple noises, flailed her arms around a little and the thee of them went out to the kitchen to eat.

* * *

Later that night, once Mia was put to bed in the guest room with the baby monitor set up, Sam and Andy were in bed talking.

"After breakfast tomorrow morning," Andy was saying, "I'll bake the ginger bread cookies. The stuffing will be easy to make. I'll throw the ham in the oven to warm it up just before we eat. Do you think we need a pie, or something?"

"If you want one, I won't turn it down."

"Then we need to get that tomorrow. I can't believe we forgot that. And we have to do all of this before we pick up Dad."

"Why don't I pick him up while you stay here and take care of all the cooking. I'll get the pie before I pick him up. I'll even take Mia so you don't have to worry about anything other than cooking. And Boo."

"Yeah, that should work. Thanks, sorry about all the last-minute stuff."

"Don't apologize, Andy. Last-minute winging things is my style."

"I know."

"Someone needs to balance out all your planning and list making."

"And I love you for it."

They kissed deeply and one thing led to another which led to another.


	21. Chapter 21

"Ham's in the oven," Andy yelled from the kitchen. The ginger bread cookies were out cooling. The stuffing was made. Sam had just returned from walking Boo and was strapping on Mia's carrier to his chest. He went to the play pen set up in the living room pulled Mia out and secured he in the carrier.

"We're off, Honey."

"Don't forget the pie."

"We won't. Will we Mia?"

Mia made a gurgling sound as Sam gave Andy a quick kiss and left the apartment.

At the super market, Sam carried a basket as he and Mia walked through the crowds. Apparently, many other people were doing last minute food shopping. Of course, a lot of them were probably having their Christmas dinner tomorrow. Not in a couple hours.

He made his way to the pies and found a nice looking cinnamon apple pie. He went to check out and even the 15 items or less lines were congested. He picked the shortest one that only had three other people waiting. The woman in front of him noticed that he only had one item and offered to let him to go in front of her. Sam thanked her but said that wasn't necessary. She insisted and Sam eventually relented, thanking her again.

Back at the truck he placed the pie in the back seat and noticed a couple cars down an older gentleman loading up his car with a lot of groceries. Sam locked up his truck and walked with Mia down to the man. "Let me help you," he said. Once the groceries were loaded Sam said he would return the cart. The guy thanked him and Sam said it was his pleasure. He walked back to the truck and strapped Mia into her car seat.

Driving away, towards Tommy's apartment, he looked in the mirror at the back of Mia's rear-facing seat. "That's called paying it forward, sweetie. And it's a really good thing to do."

* * *

Sam found a spot a couple places down from the door to Tommy's building and got Ma back out of the truck. They walked up to the building and rang the Tommy's buzzer.

" _Yeah?"_

"It's Sam."

" _I'm just about ready, come on up."_

The door buzzed and Sam pulled it open. Up the stairs he saw Tommy's door popped open and pushed his way inside. Tommy had just finished combing out his hair and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Hey Son," Tommy greeted Sam.

"How ya' doin?"

They patted each other on the back and Tommy ruffled Mia's hair through her small toque. "She is so precious. So when are you and Andy going to get to work on one of your own?"

Sam half-laughed, "Uh-"

"Nah, I'm just messing with you. I wouldn't try to pressure you two." He picked up a bag of gifts. "Just before I get too old, eh?"

* * *

As soon as Sam opened the door to their apartment, the wonderful smell of all the food overwhelmed him. Andy raced over to hug her father and kiss him on the cheek. Tommy returned the gesture and Sam handed Andy the pie. She eagerly took it and placed it by the tray of gingerbread cookies.

"My, you've been a busy little bee, haven't you?", Tommy asked.

Sam answered for Andy, "Working on it all day, worrying about it all night." Well, maybe not all night, he thought to himself and winked at Andy when Tommy was turned away.

"Okay everybody sit down," Andy instructed. She had put out 3 table settings and set up Mia's high chair in front of some more delicious looking baby food. Andy placed the Ham, stuffing, and other fixings around the table. Sam opened up Mia's baby food and began to feed her while Andy tried to convince Tommy to help himself first. Eventually Andy won by arguing that Tommy, as their guest was entitled to the first helping. Andy then filled Sam's plate as well as hers since he was occupied with feeding Mia.

Over dinner, Tommy asked how their jobs were going. Andy told him about her first weeks as road sergeant and Sam could See Tommy beaming at his daughter's success. He asked Sam what he'd been up to. Sam told him the story about the fight over relish and Tommy said he encountered a similar thing over pickles on a sandwich when he was on patrol.

"Sounds like Oliver," Andy joked.

"Yeah, we'll have to check his alibi," Sam laughed.

* * *

After dinner and desert, they moved to the living room. Mia was getting tired so Andy put her down in her crib, grabbed the portable baby monitor, and shut off the light.

Sam had pulled out the gifts they had for Tommy and he retrieved his gifts out of the bag he brought them in. They exchanged and thanked each other. Tommy even bought a raw hide treat for Boo who took it and ran off to chew on it in some corner in peace. Sam grabbed his gift and presented it to Andy.

"Sam…," she said as she started to open it. When she had it completely unwrapped, Sam helped to hold it up and Andy began to tear up. "Sam, this is beautiful." Tommy stood up and moved so he could see it.

"Wow, that is something. I've never seen anything like that. Well done, Son."

Sam and Andy shared a long embrace and kiss. When they separated, Andy asked, "Where are we going to hang it?"

"I don't know. I thought you'd figure something out," Sam grinned.

"Well, I do have a couple things for you but we can open those together. Later."

Sam raised his eyebrows at his wife.

"Maybe I should let you two enjoy the rest of your evening," Tommy suggested.

"No," Sam said.

"Yeah, you don't have to leave, yet," Andy said.

"No, no really. I'm getting kind of tired anyway. It's getting late and I'm not as young as I used to be. Thank you for the meal and the gifts. Everything was great."

"Are you sure?", Andy asked.

"Positive, darling."

"Then at least let us drive you home," Sam said.

"Nah, you'd have to wake Mia, you know."

"We have to take Mia back to Marlo tonight anyway. It's no big deal."

"Are you sure? I could take a cab, let you two have some time together."

"Dad," Sam said, "we're going to drive you home. It would be our pleasure."

On cue, Mia was making noise and Andy went in to check on her. "I'm just going to change her diaper, then we can go."

Sam began to pick up all the discarded wrapping paper and put it in the garbage. Then he called Marlo and asked if it would be a good time to drop off Mia. Marlo said it would be fine and the four of them went on their way.

* * *

They dropped Tommy off and later arrived at Marlo's sister's house to find Marlo waiting on the porch for them. When Marlo saw them approaching she walked out at them and met them at the car.

"Hi, baby girl. Mommy missed you so much," Marlo said as she pulled Mia out of her car seat. Andy grabbed the diaper bag off the floor and Marlo took it off of her. "Thanks guys. And Merry Christmas."

"You too," Sam said.

"Merry Christmas, Marlo," Andy added before Marlo turned to carry Mia back into the house.

Heading back home Andy commented that Marlo definitely looked less tired.

"Yeah, a day's rest and relaxation was good for her."

"Maybe we overreacted the other night."

"I said we need to approach it as if nothing was wrong until something proves contrary to that."

"Yeah."

A few moments of silence later, Andy asked, "Do you think it means anything that she met us outside instead of inviting us in again?"

"Andy..."

"I know Sam, I'm probably reaching. But what if I'm not?"

Sam sighed. "It might. It might not. Look, we have to trust her, until we have solid evidence to the contrary, that she's taking care of herself. I don't think she would do anything to jeopardize her health after last time. Especially now with Mia."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Alrighty. We'll keep monitoring the situation and if anything, serious and definitive jumps out at us, we'll take it from there."

"Maybe we should try to talk to her sister after the Holidays, you know, see if she has any insight on if anything's going on."

"Yeah, maybe."

* * *

Back at their apartment, Boo greeted them, apparently done with his rawhide and ready for another walk.

Sam and Andy obliged and when they returned Boo went off to his bed.

"Busy day," Sam said as Boo settled himself.

"But a nice one."

"Very true, my dear." Sam kissed Andy on the head.

"Ooh, the last presents, Andy said and hurried over to the tree, Sam following behind. "Okay, so while these are gifts from me to you, they're technically for me."

Sam understood her meaning. "I'm sure I'll enjoy them," he said putting on a big smile as Andy pulled them from under the tree.


	22. Chapter 22

Quick A/N: I wanted to apologize for the delay in some of the recent chapter releases. Work has gotten busy for me in the summer, as it usually does. Anyway, please bear with me and know that I'm not going anywhere, just because the chapters aren't coming out as quick as they usually did. I've still got a lot of story to tell...

* * *

"Detective Swarek, do you have a minute?"

Sam turned around in his desk to find Officer Zettle coming up the stairs. "What's up?"

"There is a Terri Cruz downstairs, says she wants to talk with you."

"Terri Cruz?"

"Yeah."

"Did she say what it was about?", Sam was out of his chair and the two were walking back to the front desk.

"She wouldn't tell me. Only that she needed to speak with you, privately if possible."

"Okay, Thanks Zettle. Buzz her through."

When the door buzzed, Sam held it open for Marlo's sister.

"Terri, how are you? How can I help you?"

"Can we go somewhere more private?"

"Yeah." Sam led her to the interview room and invited her to sit on the couch. "Do you need anything? Coffee? Tea?"

"No, thank you. I'm okay for now."

"Okay," Sam sat down across from her. "What's going on?"

"It's about Marlo. I'm worried about her."

"We just saw her a couple nights ago, Christmas eve. We exchanged Mia. You weren't there when Andy and I came by or we would have said 'hi'."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you weren't home. Marlo said you had just stepped out."

Sam, I've been out of town on business. I just got back in yesterday."

"What?"

"Marlo said I was here."

"Yeah, she called us the morning before Christmas eve. We were supposed to go pick Mia up in Hamilton that night and bring her back the following night. But she called and said that she was coming up here to spend Christmas with you at your place so we could pick up and drop off Mia there."

"Well she has a key, and she knows she can always come up, especially now with Mia. But she has never come by when I've been gone."

"Did she know you were gone." Yeah, I called her ahead of time to tell her and we wished each other a Merry Christmas in case we didn't talk again."

"What specifically got you worried?"

"Well, Marlo told me to stop by when I got back in to town. I tried calling her yesterday and today, no return calls. I even dashed down there, I just got back. She wasn't at home. Or at least wasn't answering the door."

"So, she lied to us about you being home, didn't tell you she was coming up, did so when you weren't there, and now she's off the grid."

"Yeah, and since it's Marlo, I'm worried. And because of Mia, I figured I should come talk to you. And since you're a cop, you know."

"Thank you, Terri. I appreciate it. I'm going to look into this. I'll keep you posted."

Sam walked Terri back out of the station then went back to the privacy of the interview room and called Marlo. She didn't answer. He left a voicemail, just checking if she got the card for her and if Mia's gift had arrived."

Next, he called Mia's day care center in Hamilton. When they picked up he said, "Hello, this is Sam Swarek. I'm calling to check on my daughter, Mia."

"Okay, what do you want to know."

"Is she there."

"Yeah, she's here. Doing just fine."

"And Marlo dropped her off?"

"Yeah, we can't take a child unless the adult is listed. And its only her and you on Mia's file."

"Okay, did you happen to see Marlo today?"

"No, that would have been Sally, she's out at lunch."

"Can you have her call me back on this line?"

"Um, okay. Is everything okay, Mr. Swarek."

"Yeah, I'm just checking a few things.

* * *

Back at his Desk, Dov asked him if everything was alright.

Sam thought about ways he could explain away Terri coming to see him but quickly realized that his partner would see through any of them. He sighed, "Keep this between us, okay?"

Dov nodded.

"Something might be wrong with Marlo."

"Is it serious?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's a bunch of little things, but with Marlo's history they can't be taken lightly. Andy now she's off the grid."

"Shit, do you need me to do anything?"

"Appreciate the offer, but I'm just checking on some things right now."

"Sure, I'll be here though if you need something."

"Thanks, Epstein."

Sam punched up his computer and did a search on a business. He knew she had gotten a job as an insurance investigator in Hamilton. He found the agency and got a number for them and dialed it in on his phone."

A woman named Mandy answered the phone and asked how she could direct the call.

"Could I speak to Marlo Cruz?"

"I'm sorry sir, she's not in today. Could I take a message?"

"Do you know when she'll be back I, tomorrow, maybe?"

"I'm sorry I do not. But I could take a message and have her call you back as soon as she gets in. Are you a client?"

"No. Mandy, my name is Sam Swarek. I'm a detective in Toronto."

"Oh, we've heard of you, you're Mia's dad. She is so cute."

"Thanks."

"Is there something wrong?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"Let me transfer you to our manager, maybe he can help you."

"Thank you."

Sam waited a minute then a different woman came on the line. "Detective Swarek, this is Sarah Reed, I'm the manager here."

"Hi Sarah, I was just trying to reach Marlo but Mandy told me she wasn't in."

"That's correct. Look, is there some way to verify you are who you say you are. I 'm not in the habit of sharing the sort of information you may be seeking over the phone to someone claiming to be somebody."

"Yeah, call 15 Division in Toronto, asked to be forwarded to my desk."

"Okay, talk soon. Detective."

Sam set the phone back in its cradle and drummed his fingers on his desk waiting for it to ring. He didn't wait too long and soon He was back on the phone with Sarah.

"Sorry about that Detective, but we have to be certain who were talking to."

"It's fine, I understand. You said you have some information I might want."

"Marlo hasn't been here since her Christmas break ended a couple days ago. She's called in sick."

"Thank you, Ms. Reed. You've been very helpful."

"I hope she feels better soon."

"Me too."

Sam hung up and thought for a minute. He could run down to Hamilton. Oliver would probably let him take the afternoon and go down there. But what would he do? Knock on her door? If she doesn't answer, then what? He'd just have to turn around and come back.

He was still pondering what to do when his cell phone rang. It was Mia's daycare center.

"Hello, Mr. Swarek? This is Sally from Mia's daycare."

"Yes, hi Sally. I understand that you checked Mia in today when Marlo dropped her off."

"Yes, that's correct."

"Great, did you happen to notice anything off about Marlo or did she seem fine?"

"Maybe seemed a little tired, subdued. But she's been that way the last while. I figured the rush of the season might be getting to her. Why? Is everything alright?"

"She's just been a little under the weather lately. I wanted to see if I could get an accurate feel for how she's doing. Marlo won't ever admit how bad something might be. She thinks she's too strong to let anything get on top of her."

"I understand. She didn't seem ill or anything to me. Just tired, kind-of-out of it."

"Thank you Sally, you've helped put my mind at ease. Can you do me a favor, don't mention this to Marlo. I don't want her upset at me for checking up on her."

"My lips are sealed."

Sam clicked off, grabbed his truck keys and the coat off his chair. "I'm going to go to talk to Shaw, see about-"

He was cut off by his desk phone ringing again. He sat back down and picked it up. "Swarek."

Sam listened then said, "got it," before hanging up. He threw his truck keys back in his desk drawer and grabbed the keys to their cruiser instead.

"Let's go," he said to Dov as he stood up put his coat on.

"Dov stood and did the same. "Hamilton?"

"No, Queen and Parliament."


	23. Chapter 23

Sam and Dov arrived at a scene that had been taped off and littered with squad cars and officers. They were responding to a bank robbery at a branch of Hudson Trust. The same bank that had another branch held up a couple years back. Sam parked behind a squad and the two detectives got out and approached the cordon line. They held up their badges and the officer manning the perimeter lifted up the tape for them to walk under.

"Epstein, go check out the security footage. Make sure we get a copy of it. Maybe there is something useful there," Sam said trying to sound optimistic.

"Detective Swarek."

Sam turned around to find Marcy walking towards him. "Officer Zettle. Were you first on scene?"

"Yeah. Well, me and Gail. We were just driving by when some lady ran out and flagged us down that the bank had just been robbed."

"And where is this lady now?"

"She's over here with the other witnesses. I'll take you to her." Zettle led Sam over to a woman about his age who said her name was Trisha Sanders.

"Ms. Sanders, I'm Detective Swarek. Could you run me through what happened?"

"Um, well, I was at the table, filling out a deposit slip when at the desk all of a sudden there is some shouting. I look up and see the man that was up there pull a gun from his waistband and start waving it around."

"Did you get a good look at the guy?"

"Not really, I'm sorry. It's just that he was wearing sunglasses and a stocking cap. Which I thought was a little funny when I noticed him walk in considering it's not sunny today but some people have more sensitive eyes then others, I guess."

"That's okay ma'am, please continue."

"Right. So, he's pointing the gun and yelling for everyone to get down on the ground, so we did. He orders two of the thee tellers out from behind the counter, those two over there." She pointed, indicating two women being separately interviewed by Diaz and Price. "Then the guy that was still back there," she pointed at a man talking with Peck, "he makes him back up from the counter, slowly with his arms up. I guess he was worried about silent alarms or something. Anyway, the male teller opens up the safe and puts the money in a bag the robber pulled from his coat. Then he made the man get down on the ground with the rest of us and then ran out the back. When I heard the door close I got up and ran outside and was pulling out my phone to call 911 when I saw a police car just turning the corner."

Sam nodded and jotted down a couple last things in his note book. "Alright, we're gonna get a typed-out statement from you for you to sign and then you can go."

"No problem, Officer."

Sam left Zettle to handle that and went to talk to the other three officers to compare witness accounts. They all aligned pretty well. The timelines were all the same. Each one had a slightly different sight of the event but none of that amounted to anything conclusive to go on. In the end, they guy was described as being in his late 20's to early 30's, Caucasian, average height, no accent, and no noticeable distinguishing marks or traits. Gail added that the teller told her he was unable to hit the silent alarm because he initially froze and by the time he recovered, it was too late.

"Did he get a dye pack in with the money?"

"No, none of the money in the safe was prepped with a dye pack yet. It was all money that had just come in from transactions during the day. This robber knew the tricks and how to best avoid them. Best guess on the take is around a few thousand."

"Thanks guys. Finish up with these witnesses, send a copy of all the statements to me." Sam walked inside the office where Dov was set up behind a bank of monitors watching the robbery occur from three different angles. "Anything?"

"Not much," Dov sighed. Much of the face is obscured by the hat and sunglasses. Also, the gloves meant he left no prints anywhere. No cameras out back so there is nothing there. But there is something, maybe, from the front door camera. Dov ran the video back, paused, and zoomed inn as best he could before the image became to distorted. On screen, the soon-to-be robber was reaching to pull the door open with his right hand and the sleeve of his coat rose maybe an inch up his arm and between there and the glove was something dark.

"What do you think it is?"

"Could be a tattoo, that would maybe help us. But it could also be a wristband."

"Or a watch."

"Possibly, but I think he was right-handed since he opened the door and held the gun with that hand. Most right-handed people would wear a watch on their left wrist and vice versa."

Sam squinted at the image again but didn't get a better grasp of what the dark patch was. "Well, the lab will get a copy. Maybe they can clean it up a little. Either way we'll put it on a big screen back at 15. Hopefully we can see it better then."

Dov nodded and reset the image to normal.

"Did you get anything on the gun? Can you tell? Because the only information from our witnesses was that it was black, not shiny."

"Glock?"

"Maybe. Could just be a dull, un-polished finish."

"True. I couldn't tell anything that distinctive. Let's look again." Dov ran the tape forward and selected the frame that put the gun in profile the best and zoomed in as best he could. "Not compact, looks standard size. I can't make out a hammer, so it could be a Glock."

"Yeah, or a bunch of other guns, too. And if he's dumped the gun it won't matter anyway."

"All around, not a hell of a lot to go on," Dov said.

"Nope."

* * *

Back at 15, Oliver went up to the D's office and stopped at Sam and Dov's desk pair. "Bank robbery, huh?" Anything solid?"

Sam looked at Dov who said, "Not really yet. Still waiting on the techs to finish processing everything. Maybe something will come from that."

"This guy might not be a pro, but he's good," Sam said." He knew how to best conceal himself without standing out too much. Knew how to control the situation. Knew what the bank tellers would try to do and how to best counter that. I mean, if he made a mistake that leads us to him, it wasn't in the bank."

"Except for the possible tattoo," Dov added.

"What tattoo?" Shaw asked.

"When he pulled open the door to go inside," Sam said, "his coat sleeve moved up a bit and revealed a dark stripe, patch, something, just above his wrist. Couple be a tattoo, but it could be something else.

"Keep working it, you guys will figure it out. We can't have this kind of thing happening during the holiday season. I want a result. No pressure." Oliver gave a quick, re-assuring smile and walked away.

"How many days until New Years?", Dov asked.

"Three. No pressure." Sam stood up and said, "I'm going to the lounge, you need anything?"

"You're willing to get my coffee?"

"Call it the holiday spirit," Sam said as he turned to head down the stairs. As he walked into the lounge he did a double take. Standing with her back to him was Traci. "Nash? What are you doing here?"

She turned around from the coffee machine, "Hey Swarek," They shared a quick hug then Traci said, "I'm back as of today. Administrative duties for a little bit then back in the field. You know about that."

"Yes, I do. Damn, I didn't even know, I would have swung by to see you. But I've been dealing with something and then Epstein and I caught a bank job just a couple hours ago."

"Don't worry about it. There's a lot of people that didn't know I'd be here today. I just came in a little while ago

"Andy?"

"I texted her earlier that I might be back, depending on what Oliver said."

"Huh, she didn't tell me."

"Maybe she wanted you to be surprised," came a familiar voice from behind them. Andy was leaning in the doorway, grinning widely. She quickly hurried over to her best friend and wrapped her in a hug. "It's so great that you're back. This place missed your charm." Traci laughed a bit grabbed her coffee and said, "well my 'charm' is needed back upstairs where there is a bunch of paperwork from when I was gone that is awaiting my attention."

When Traci left, Andy said to Sam, "I heard about the robbery over the radio. You guys caught that?"

"Sure did," he said while preparing a cup of coffee.

"Did you solve it yet?"

"Heh. We've got a few leads."

"Really? Like what?"

Sam turned around and shook his head. "We got nothing. The techs haven't gotten us their report et and the video might give us something after they've looked at it, but um, we're grasping right now."

"Well it's early, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"We better, Oliver told us we can't let something like this go unsolved especially during the holiday period."

"Sam, you know he's not giving you a deadline."

"Yeah, I know." Sam poured his cup of coffee and took a sip. "Enough about me. How's your day been?

"I also caught a case, to a degree. Well, Detective Anderson did. Maybe vehicular manslaughter, maybe murder. We're still working that out and I'm helping out a little."

"Ah, so that's why you're in the barn."

"Yep, I'm heading back out now."

"Well, I'm happy you stopped by. Listen, after shift I need to talk to you, about Marlo."

"Did something happen?" Andy was concerned now.

No, I don't think so. Just some details, Marlo's sister stopped by to talk to me this morning and I made some calls. Nothing definitive, Mia's doing fine, don't worry too much. We'll talk later." Sam gave Andy a kiss and said, "I should probably get back to work as well. Maybe my partner cracked the case while I've been down here."

Andy giggled as Sam walked towards the door before pulling a U-turn and heading back to the coffee machine.

"Forget something, Detective?"

"As a matter-of-fact, Sergeant, I did."

"And what might that be?"

"Epstein's coffee."


	24. Chapter 24

"Marlo's sister stopped by to see you?", Andy asked Sam as they sat at the Penny. Everyone was gathered to celebrate Traci's return to work and the return to town of Nick and Juliet. Sam and Andy were at a corner table, away from most of the gathering.

"Yeah, this morning. Zettle came up to my desk and told me Terri was here to see me and wanted to talk privately." Sam filled her in on the highlights of their conversation and his phone calls afterwards.

Andy took a sip of her beer then asked, "What do you think?"

"Honestly, I don't know. She seemed healthy when she was up here with Mia, so even if she is sick now, there's something else going on."

"You going down there?"

"I'd like to but I don't know what I'd do. Plus, with this new case, I don't think I can take a day right now."

"Then you better hurry up and solve it," Andy raised her eyebrows.

Sam chuckled and took a sip of his own drink. "Hypothetically, we close the case, guy turns himself in, whatever. I go down there. What's the angle? The daycare says Mia's perfectly fine so I can't use that."

"But Marlo may not be fine. Don't you want to check on that. For Mia's sake if nothing else?"

"Of course, I do. But she has no reason to even let me through the door, especially if there is something wrong that might affect her ability to be guardian over Mia."

Andy thought about it for a minute. "How about this? You call her up, tell her you have to go down there to drop some files with Hamilton P.D. Then ask if she and Mia want to meet up and get a bite to eat or something."

"Yeah, maybe. The good thing is the daycare will call me if Mia is unwell or isn't there one day so I always know about her."

"Right, and maybe whatever is going on with Marlo will pass and things will return to normal. But it would be nice to figure out what ever it is. Or at least determine for a fact that it's not an issue any longer."

Sam nodded, "I'll check up with Terri again soon and see if she's been able to get though or learn anything. But for now, what do you say we rejoin the party?"

Andy smiled and leaned across the table to give Sam a kiss. "Sounds like a plan," she said when they broke apart.

* * *

Dov was frustrated. It was now the day before New Year's Eve and none of the last strings of hope he was clinging to were resulting in any leads to go on in the case. The video, even after being cleaned up in the lab didn't lead anywhere. No DNA, no additional witness testimony. He was down to his last option. He had to hope that he could pick up the suspect on cameras outside and follow him back to his point of origin. But that would be an impossibly long task involving phone calls to every business that had a camera just in-case it might have caught the suspect. Warrants and subpoenas would probably be necessary and all of that would take days to accomplish. Dov wanted to get this thing solved and not just because of Oliver's desire to see it done, but for his own reasons as well. He wanted nothing hanging over him tomorrow.

"Before we go that far," Sam said after Dov told him what he was thinking, "Let's think about how he would get away."

"Obvious choice is car. Have one stashed somewhere, lot or garage. Could be on the street. Maybe a getaway driver."

"He didn't get a dye pack…"

"So, public trans is an option."

"We know he headed out the back. Figure out the closest subway, street car, and bus stops along that trajectory. I'll do the same for parking areas. It'll be a lot shorter list than every business in that area. And even though he got away clean he would want to stick around that area too long so he probably used one of the options we came up with."

"Unless he took a cab. Or had a getaway driver."

"Epstein, you're too young to start being a pessimist. It's going to happen to you in this job eventually. Don't rush it along."

A couple hours later Dov and Sam had collected the footage from all the items on their lists. They had gotten footage from an hour before all the way to an hour after for each location. They were deciding how best to divide and conquer this and decided that they could uses some help.

"Do you want me to see if a uniform is around?", Dov asked.

"Let me make a call first," Sam picked up his desk phone and punched in an extension.

Nash answered on the second ring. "Nash."

"It's Swarek, what are you up to? Still doing paperwork?"

"Yeah, and the pile is not seeming to get smaller."

"What would you say if I offered you the opportunity to help me and Epstein out with some actual police work?"

"I'll be right down." They hung up and Sam said, we got backup. And I think you'll find it better than a uniform.

Traci was at their desk pair a minute later and Sam gave her a run-down of what they were doing. "Look for the clothing but especially the sunglasses. There probably weren't too many people wearing those."

Not long after Traci said she had something.

Sam looked at Dov, "What'd I tell ya?"

"What is it?", Dov asked.

"First parking garage on the list. Man fitting the description and wearing sunglasses walking out and heading in the general direction of the bank."

Sam checked the time stamp, "17 minutes before Gail reported the robbery."

"Dov look at the video for a long moment. "That's him."

"You're certain?", Sam asked.

Trust me, I poured over the bank footage for hours. It's him. I can tell by the way he walks, carries himself.

"Epstein from that time stamp, write down every vehicle that enters. Nash and I'll try to spot him coming back."

They fast forwarded to the time that Gail radioed in that a bank robbery had occurred and ran the tape from there. 12 minutes later the same guy returns to the garage, wearing a drawstring backpack that he wasn't wearing before.

Sam ran it through. "He walks to the bank at a normal pace maybe a little sower or stops a minute or two to make it harder to track him. Then a few minutes for the robbery. Walks back a little quicker, maybe. I can buy it. You two?"

"Yeah, that make's sense," Traci said.

"It's him," Dov reiterated.

"Let's take Epstein's list and see if we get any of these leaving," Sam said.

After they had run through the footage only one car entered and left within a reasonable time revolving around the suspect.

"Grey four-door Toyota sedan," Traci said.

"Matching plates, same car," Sam added.

Traci ran them, "Registered to a David Sanders. I'll have his address in a minute."

"Sanders, that's familiar…" Dov pondered.

"No need, Nash. He's married, right?"

"Uh, yeah. to a-,"

"Trisha Sanders," Sam finished.

"How did you-," Traci began again before being interrupted again.

"Shit, that's why that name was familiar," Dov connected the pieces.

Sam turned to Traci, "Trisha Sanders was the customer in the bank. She's the witness that flagged Peck and Zettle down. The witness I talked to. She was still on scene when this car left, so it can't have been her driving away. And we never caught her on camera. You got David's I.D. info? Does he fit the physical description?"

"I'd say he does," Nash smiled.

"We got him," Dov said.

Sam picked up his phone and dialed the number Trisha Sanders gave him. Ms. Sanders? This is Detective Swarek from 15 Division. We talked at the bank. I was wondering if you'd be able to come in to the station to look at a couple photos. I know it's a long shot but we don't have much to go on here. Anything you can do, even just eliminating some people, well it would be a big help. If you can't get over here, we could always swing by for a couple minutes if you have a moment." Sam listened for a moment. After work would be fine, we'll see you then. Thank you, Ms. Sanders." He hung up. "She's coming in."

"What's the angle, here?" Dov asked.

"While she's here, you're going to execute a warrant on the house with E.T.F. Take Peck and Diaz with you. We don't have that much time so we got to move fast on the warrant and I have to put together a bunch of mug shots for her to look at. I'll try to stall her as best I can. Text me if you find anything. We'll arrest her then."

"Good plan," Traci said. "If you don't mind I'll sit in on the interview."

Sam smirked, "Can't bring yourself back to doing paperwork right now?"

"Not after my first taste of real police work in months," Traci smiled.

Later on, Ms. Sanders was seated on the couch in the interview room. Sam was also in there.

"Thank you again for coming in. I'm sorry the other detective is running late. She should be on her way. Can I get you anything? Coffee?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine. I just want to help you and get home.

"And I appreciate that. I understand with the holidays, we won't keep you any longer than we have too. I'm just going to grab a coffee and hopefully Detective Nash will be here when I get back."

Sam stepped out and closed the door behind him. Traci was standing next to the door, where she had been standing ever since Sam took Ms. Sanders in to the interview room. Sam mouthed coffee and she nodded back. A couple minutes later he returned and opened the door. This stalling tactic was over, time for the next one.

"I'm back Ms. Sanders and look who I bumped into on the way." He indicated Traci as she stepped into the room. "This is Detective Sergeant Traci Nash from the Guns and Gangs Unit." Sam looked at his phone, nothing from Dov yet.

"Hello, Ms. Sanders. Sorry to keep you waiting on me. Detective Swarek called me into consult on the case, since they had no leads. Maybe I would have some repeat offenders in my files or some tips on where to look. So, I have some photo arrays I want you to look at for a few minutes. If you're not certain, don't finger them either positively or negatively, okay?

"Yeah, sure. Just a few minutes, you said?"

"Well," Traci pulled a large folder from her bag, "Maybe, a bit more than a few."

After 20 minutes, she had fingered nobody positively and only a couple negatively. Ms. Sanders was starting to feel unhelpful. The stalling was about to wear out again when Sam's phone finally vibrated. He glanced at the text quickly. _'Sanders in custody, tattoo on right wrist. Money and gun in basement._

Sam put his phone away and stood up. "Detective Nash, I think that's enough. Thank you for the help, even if you don't think it was all that helpful, I assure you _Mrs._ Sanders that is was." Sam couldn't tell if she picked up on him using Mrs. For the first time or the slight added emphasis he put on it. Either way she was moving toward the door wanting to get out.

"One more thing," Sam said as she reached for the door handle. "What were you going to spend the money on?"

Trisha Sanders tried to look confused.

"You know, the gun your husband David used to rob the bank."

She stammered a bit but didn't say anything.

Sam continued. "I should probably tell you that while you were here, my partner and E.T.F executed a search warrant on your house. They found the money, gun, and arrested David."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," her face had lost all color and she was visibly shaking when she opened the door. Zettle and Foxx were standing on the other side.

From behind her Sam said, "Trisha Sanders, you're under arrest for accessory to armed robbery."

"Turn around and put your hands behind your back," Marcy told her and Jake put his cuffs on her as she complied."

"I want my lawyer," Mrs. Sanders told the two detectives."

"We'll get right on that," Traci said as Foxx and Zettle led her off to booking.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Oliver said. Sam and Dov were seated in his office. "She was the scout, and texted him when the bank was clear. Then poses as a victim and the rest goes from there."

"Yeah," Sam said, "you got it."

"Good work guys, you went from nothing to case closed in a day."

"Well, to be fair, Traci was a big help. It would have taken us much longer if she hadn't helped us out," Dov said.

"I'll be sure to commend her when I see her. Good to hear she's still in top form after her leave."

"She certainly is," Sam said.

"Go on, get out of here, enjoy your night," Oliver instructed them. "Busy shift tomorrow night."


	25. Chapter 25

"Listen up everyone. I'll try to make this quick, we got a busy night tonight." Oliver was addressing the assembled crowd. "First off, 15 division officially welcomes back Officers Ward and Collins from Vancouver."

The platoon applauded their return.

"Yes, yes," Oliver continued. "First shit back and it's New Year's Eve. We have a lot of private parties for tonight. Also, the official city one. That means a lot of potential for problems with crowds, alcohol, etc. I want a lot of presence from us tonight, okay?"

"Yes, sir," the officers said.

"Good. Ward, you're with Diaz. Collins with Peck. Price will be riding with McNally tonight, no solos. Foxx in booking, Zettle on desk. Rest of the assignments are on the board. Detectives, you're free to go out there if you want."

Chuckles filled the room as some of the more tenured detectives laughed that idea off.

"We'll go out," Dov said indicating himself and Sam.

"Cool. Swarek, Epstein, Thanks. The rest of you detectives better do some good work back here tonight. Serve, protect, and stay out of trouble everyone," Oliver said and the platoon filed out.

* * *

In the parking lot before everyone left, Andy gathered everyone together. They weren't detailed to the city party but would be around incase additional officers were needed. They divided up the high traffic area of downtown in 15 and chose spots to park and camp out, since it would be nearly impossible to drive around and patrol down there. Andy and Chloe would be on foot moving between them.

"You'll see me at midnight though, right McNally?", Sam asked with a grin.

"We'll see," she said with a wink. Everybody knew the couple would be together at 12, and nobody had a problem with it. Conveniently, that also put Chloe and Dov together, if all went to plan.

They rolled out just after 8 and after giving the others enough time to get in position Andy and Chloe started making their rounds.

"I want to try to hit each team once every hour or so leading up to midnight," Andy told Chloe. After that we'll camp and monitor civilian flow out of the area. Unless something else comes up."

The first couple hours went by unexciting. Everything was going as well as could be expected. The crowds were thickening and it was taking longer to get to each pair.

On the third rotation, they found Chris and Juliet talking to a couple of mounted unit officers. Their horses were drawing a lot of attention from the passing crowd. Dov and Sam were sitting on the hood of their car, watching the crowds and talking about something but dropped it when Andy and Chloe approached.

"How's it going here?", Andy asked.

"Oh, you know. Controlled Chaos," Sam said.

"I hear ya," Andy replied.

When they walked up on Nick and Gail, they found the two talking to a couple of guys on the street.

"What's going on here?", she asked as Nick turned around to meet them.

"These two were arguing, about something, we could hear them down the street coming this way," Nick said as they walked back towards where Gail was talking to the two men. "We approached them and brought them over to cool off."

"Get anything out of them?", Andy asked Gail.

"Apparently grey coat stole a parking space from blue coat earlier. Then blue coat follows grey coat, catches up to him, confronts him, and it goes from there."

"I.D.'s?"

"Yeah," she handed them to Nick who went to their car to run them. "Grey coat is Mitch Wells. Blue coat is Jacob Hobbs."

Andy turned to address the two men. "I'm Sergeant McNally. Mr. Hobbs, is Officer's Peck correct? That's how it went down?"

"Yeah except I didn't follow him. Look officers I'm sorry. It's just that I'm here with my wife and daughter and I had to drop them off since I couldn't find a space yet. They went on ahead, and I kept driving looking for a spot. I finally find a car leaving a spot so I stop and wait for them to back out. As I'm doing that, this guy swoops in from the other direction and steals it right there."

"I didn't steal anything, there's nothing saying that's your-"

"One at a time, Mr. Wells," Gail warned. He went silent.

"Officer Price, can you take Mr. Wells here and take his statement."

"Follow me, sir," Chloe led Mr. Wells to the back of Gail and Nick's cruiser.

"Continue," Gail said.

"Well I kept driving, eventually caught one further away. I just started walking this way, not really looking for trouble or anything, though I was still upset. And then I saw the face that I caught in my headlights looking back. I knew it was him. I didn't even know what I was going to do. I just went up to him and told him what he did was rude, I probably called him some thigs, that I regret. There were probably kids around and stuff."

"That's it?", Andy asked.

"Yeah, that's when you guys came up to us."

Nick came back, and handed the I.D.s back to Gail. "Both checks came back 10-40."

"Okay, Mr. Hobbs, you're not wanted for anything. Just sit tight with Officers Peck and Collins for a few, I'll back." Andy walked to the back of the cruiser where Chloe was writing in her notebook."

"-That's when I noticed the other two cops and I called for them," Mr. Wells was saying.

"Okay, Mr. Wells your I.D. came back clear. Let's go back to the other officers and you can get it back," Andy said and led them back. When everyone was back together Andy said, "Okay, here's the options. We can either charge both of you with disorderly conduct. That means we have to take both of you down to the station and go through all of that. You don't want that. We don't want that. You other option is you both promise that you won't be a problem again tonight and we let you both walk away.

Both Mr. Hobbs and Mr. Wells agreed to the second option and were returned their I.D.s. "Mr. Wells, you may go," Andy said and he walked away.

"What about me?", Mr. Hobbs asked.

"You're going in that same direction?", Andy asked.

He nodded.

"Remember, stay out of trouble," Gail said as he walked off.

"You two good with that?", Andy asked Nick and Gail.

"I am, it didn't seem like they meant any real harm, could have escalated if we weren't here though," Nick said. "Now they get back to their families or wherever they are going."

"Gail?"

"I don't mind not having to do paper work on an arrest."

"Okay then, everybody's happy."

Any said she and Chloe would resume her rounds.

"Nice working with you, Sergeant," Nick said with a grin and a lax salute and smile.

* * *

Sam and Dov were still on their car when Andy and Chloe came by for the third time that night.

"Officers," Sam said as Andy and Chloe stood next to Sam and Dov respectively.

"Detectives," Andy said.

"How's your night been?", Chloe asked.

"Not too bad, mostly just people watched."

"A couple times we had to put people back on the right side of the barricades," Sam added. "How about you guys?"

"Not much, assisted Gail and Nick with a couple of guys yelling at each other," Andy said.

"Sam looked down at his watch. Well, in just a few minutes, we get to do it all again."

"Yeah, except there will be a lot more people at the same time," Dov added.

"I know, so exciting," Chloe said.

The other three stared at her.

"What?" She was genuinely confused why they were giving her those looks.

Changing the subject, Sam asked, "You two going to stay here for the countdown," Sam raised his eyebrows.

"We thought we might," Andy smirked.

A little while later they could hear the crowd counting down."

"This is going to be a great year, Sam," Andy said.

Sam stood up and wrapped his arm around Andy. Dov stood up behind Chloe and put one arm around her shoulder and the other in his pocket.

" _5, 4, 3, 2, 1, HAPPY NEW YEAR!"_ , came the shouts from the crowd.

As the clock struck midnight Andy and Sam shared a kiss.

Chloe turned around expecting to get a kiss from Dov. Instead, he was on bent knee holding a ring.


	26. Chapter 26

For the first time in a long time, Chloe was at a loss for words.

"I know your last try at this didn't go all that well. And I haven't always been the type that wanted to get married. But, Chloe, you're a game changer. And I don't want to go anywhere in this life unless you're going with me. So, Chloe Price, will you marry me?"

Chloe flashed back to that day in the locker rooms at work when Dov surprised her with an apology cookie and said those same words in an attempt to get her to give him another chance. Then she had punched the cookie and yelled at him for surprising her like that. But this time…"

"Yes!"

"Yes?", Dov stood up smiling, taking Chloe's left hand.

Chloe nodded and let the tears come as Dov slid the diamond studded ring onto her delicate finger. Then Dov cupped her head and they shared a long, passionate kiss. A few people around them that noticed what happened gave some shouts and applause. Sam clapped Dov on the back while Andy gave Chloe a quick hug and checked out her ring.

"One thing, I would secure that in a pocket, not wear it on shift. You know? Don't damage or lose it."

"Yes, please don't do that," Dov said.

Chloe understood and admired the ring one more time. Then she tucked it away in one of her vest pockets and put her glove back on.

Sam's phone rang. "What's up Brother?... Oh yeah, he did, and she said yes…. Yeah, it all went to plan…. Will do." Sam clicked off. "Staff sends his congratulations. Party tomorrow at the penny."

"Wait," Andy began, "he knew about this?"

"Well yeah," Dov said. "I first told him my plan and he said he make it work where we should be together at midnight. He said he'd pair Chloe with you knowing you'd try to be with Sam at midnight, if everything was going smoothly tonight. Then I talked with Swarek and made sure he knew what was going on so he wouldn't object to coming out here tonight. Everything went to plan and fell in to place perfectly."

"Did anybody else know?"

"Chris knew, of course."

"Of course."

" _This is 1504, we need medics to our location. We have an unresponsive male subject that just collapsed in font of us. Looks to be in his mid-twenties."_

"Speak of the devil," Andy said.

" _Copy 1504, Medics have been dispatched."_

Andy grabbed her radio. "1504, 15S1. Do you need assistance?"

"Negative," this time it was Ward responding. "We got it under control."

"Copy." Andy stopped transmitting and said, "Price we should probably get moving."

"Yeah, okay." She gave Dov one last kiss and said, See you later, Doy."

After they left, Sam looked at his partner. "Doy?"

"Don't ask," Dov said with a smile.

* * *

The rest of the night went as smoothly as could be expected some DUI arrests. Some intoxicated pedestrians who assured the officers they were heading straight home to get some rest. Juliet later filled Andy in on the collapsed male. He was only 19 in reality and the medics suspected alcohol poisoning.

The next day Oliver filled in the rest of the platoon on the events from last night, concluding with the engagement. "Finally, congratulations are in order. Detective Epstein proposed to Officer Price last night and, God help her, she said yes. Applause and laughter ran through the room. Dov eve laughed at his own expense. "Tonight, at the penny, we will be having a little party to celebrate. And as our most recent in-house marriage is still going strong, maybe we can start a trend for the better this time." More laughter and side conversation followed and Oliver let it go for a few moments. Now on to business. Detective Nash has been cleared to return to full duty so Officer Ward is joining her upstairs. On a related note, tis from the brass. All officers, including detectives and supervisors, upon entering the field must be wearing a protective vest." There were some groans but most understood that this was for everyone's safety. Oliver continued, "We've had some close calls this year just on this platoon. The rest of the service is no different. So that is the way it is going to be from now on. Assignments are on the board."

Nick and Chloe found themselves partnered together, Nick driving. They had been cruising along, Chloe talking endlessly about last night, and Nick happy to let her when they got their first action of the day. A car rolled through a stop and turned into their lane forcing Nick to jump on the brakes. Chloe immediately flicked on the lights and the car pulled over. Nick pulled in behind and grabbed the radio. "Dispatch, 1505. Show us down on a traffic stop. Leslie between Sproat and Endean."

" _Roger 1505_. _"_

Nick and Chloe got out and approached the car. Nick tapped the driver's window but the driver opened is door instead. "Sorry Officer. The window doesn't roll down."

"I understand. Do you know why we stopped you today?"

"I'm guessing it had something to do with that stop sign back there on Sproat."

"Yeah, you didn't stop at it."

"Right."

"And I almost slammed right into you. Do you have your license and registration on you?"

The driver reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed his license to Nick who in turn handed it to Chloe. She went back to their squad to run it through the computer. Nick looked at the registration and confirmed it was for this car and returned it to the driver. "Going out of town, Mr. Parker?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just noticed the duffel bag in the back and the fact that you're kind of in a hurry so I took a guess.

"NO, not leaving town.

"Then where were you heading in such a hurry?"

Chloe's voice came through Nick's radio before the driver could answer, "Subject is 10-63 10-67. 10-26 on an A.B.H."

"Mr. Parker can you step out of the car for me?", Nick said as Chloe approached slowly.

"What about?"

"Just step out of the car and we can talk about it out here, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever." Mr. Parker reached to unbuckle his seat belt, or so Nick thought. He saw a flash of chrome and realized there was a gun. Nick reached for his Glock but already knew he wouldn't be quick enough. Chloe was still too far back to see what was happening and approaching from the other side of the car. Mr. Parker cleared his weapon from its concealment and lifted it up as Nick disengaged the double locks on his holster and began to draw. Nick realized that the suspect's gun wasn't at a very good angle to fire on him, however, which Nick thought might buy him that extra half-second he needed to draw down on the driver. Then a single shot rang out and Mr. Parker's head snapped back and he dropped his gun hand to his lap and the gun fell to the floor board. He slumped in his seat and began to lean out the open door. All of this happened in about a second-and-a half. Another second and Nick realized that Mr. Parker had shot himself.

"Nick re-holstered his gun and grabbed his radio. "1505, rush medics to our location. Male, 34, GSW to the head. Not responsive."

" _Copy 1505, medics are en-route. Back-up too."_

"Pulse?", Chloe asked coming up behind Nick.

Nick grimly shook his head. Nick filled in dispatch on what happened and requested the coroner's service.

The gunshot had drawn some people out of their homes and they were standing around on lawns and sidewalks watching the scene before them.

Chloe keyed her radio, "1505, we got a crowd forming. Not hostile yet but could we get an ETA on that backup?"

" _3 minutes 1505."_


	27. Chapter 27

" _1505, Back-up arriving on scene, Medics 2 minutes out."_

A 15 division car pulled up and Peck and Foxx got out. "Jake," Gail said, "get the tape, make a perimeter." Jake hurried to the trunk of their squad while Gail wandered over to Collins and Price. "What happened here?"

Nick crossed his arms. "Seemed like a routine stop, subject came back on parole, wanted on an assault with bodily harm. I asked him to step out, I thought he was reaching for his seatbelt but he pulled a gun instead. If he wanted to shoot me he had the chance. I couldn't have drawn in time. But he just shot himself."

"I see. I guess he really didn't want to go back to jail."

A wail of sirens signaled the arriving ambulance. They hurried over and Nick told them he was already gone. Yet another siren preluded the arrival of McNally. She hurried over. "Did either of you two fire?", she asked Chloe and Nick.

"No. I was barely even able to draw," Nick replied.

"Price? Where were you?"

"I was at the rear passenger door when the shot happened. I drew but re-holstered a couple seconds later, once I saw what happened."

Andy nodded, "So he shot himself, you two are clear."

"Not that they'll believe us." Nick pointed a thumb over his shoulder toward the crowd where Foxx was trying to keep the crowd calm and a bay. "Peck, why don't you go help Foxx out, just until we get more bodies here."

"Why not," Gail said and walked off. One of the medics walked over to McNally. "You're in charge here?"

"Yeah, for now."

"Okay, he's gone, but we already knew that, right? Did one of you call in the coroner?"

"I did," Nick said from behind the medic."

Okay, we left him as we found him, we only checked for a pulse and other signs of life, reactive eyes, that kind of thing. Everything is preserved."

"Thanks," Andy said with a sigh.

"Any time," the medic retrieved his bag and joined his partner back in their rig.

"So, um, what now?", Chloe asked.

"Now we wait. Wait for more units, the coroner, and the detectives." Andy pulled out her phone. "Nick, keep standing there, block the view from the lookers. Chloe, search the car, see what you can find. I'll call Staff."

* * *

A half-hour later, the crime scene investigation was in full swing. Nick and Chloe had given their statements and were now talking with Sam while Dov was talking with the coroner's service. Chris and Marcy joined Gail and Chloe on the perimeter along with some other officers that arrived.. The crowd was growing and some people were not all that interested in peacefully observing. Andy was searching through the car when she came to the duffel bag in the back. It was black, not very large with a couple side pockets that were empty. Andy unzipped the bag and found bundles of cash. $50,000, easy. She poked her head out of the back seat. "Uh, guys, I might have something here."

Sam walked over, Nick and Chloe trailing him. "Woah, what do we have here?" Sam took a picture and asked Chloe what Parker was on probation for.

"Possession with intent."

"Interesting. So, maybe he's on his way to a buy. Bag it up, take it back to the station. Epstein?"

Dov excused himself from his conversation and walked over to his partner. "Coroner says the powder burns and angles match up with a self-inflicted wound."

"Okay."

"Gun was a .38. Serial number filed off. Not really surprising, considering he was on parole, that the gun would be illegal in-and-of-itself."

"Let's take a ride, grab Peck and Foxx, tell them to join us."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to go by Mr. Parker's house. Turns out he had about fifty grand in the car. And he's on parole for possession with intent. My gut says he got out of jail and right back into the life. Why else would he have that in non-sequential twenties in a duffel bag. Hopefully there'll be something at his place that points us further up the ladder."

* * *

"What's the plan here?", Gail asked when they rendezvoused at the house.

"Epstein and I will door knock, you two stand down at the bottom of the porch. Then follow us in."

"If nobody's home?", Foxx asked.

"Then we'll take a look around and see what we see."

Sam and Dov climbed the porch and Sam pounded three times on the door then rang the doorbell. They heard movment and the door opened a moment later, but only as much as the chain allowed it. A twenty-something man was on the other side. "Police? Uh, what's going on?"

"Detectives Swarek and Epstein," Sam indicated the two of them, "15 division. Does a Marshall Parker live here?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"You guess so?", Dov asked."

"Yeah, I mean, he's my roommate. But he's not here that often. What's this about?"

"Can we step inside," Sam suggested, "talk for a minute?"

"If you have to, let me get the chain." The man shut the door and didn't open it again. They could hear him running through the house towards the back.

"You two, get around back!" Sam yelled but Peck and Foxx were already moving. Dov reared back and kicked the door, it came off the hinge and the two detectives burst through, guns out. They followed the sights on their guns through the house until thy heard the screen door on the back slam shut. They hurried in that direction and found the door led out from the back of the kitchen. Sam pulled it and Dov moved through.

Foxx and Peck were a third of the yard ahead of them, Jake a few steps ahead of Gail. The man was trying to get to the gate in the back of the fence, but his baggy pants were slowing him down and Foxx was rapidly closing. A couple more steps and he tackled the fleeing man and attempted to restrain his arms. Unfortunately, he missed on his first try and the man drove a blade he had somewhere on him up into Jake's lower abdomen. Foxx rolled off of him and clutched at the wound. The man got back to his knees and held the knife out.

Gail and Dov ordered him to drop the knife. Sam saw something in the guy, maybe a twitch in his eyes that gave his intentions away. He raised his arms slowly but instead of dropping the knife he moved to bring it down hard and fast towards Foxx again. Sam fired three quick shots that hit the man before his arm got halfway back down. He was dead before he fell back onto the ground and the knife rolled out of his grip. Gail and Dov might have fired also, Sam wasn't sure.

"10-33, Officer down and shots fired! This is 1519. Suspect is down. Repeat officer down and suspect down. Rush a bus!", Gail relayed through her radio. "I'm going to get the kit!", she yelled and ran back towards her squad. Dov dropped down next to Foxx and applied pressure to the wound. Sam moved towards the suspect and found that he landed all three shots. Two in the chest, one in the head. He was gone. The knife was a long kitchen knife. "How's he doing?", Sam asked kneeling down next to Foxx as well.

"He's conscious, losing blood quickly though. Gail!"

"I'm here," Gail dropped to the ground and pulled out the gauze pads and tape from the kit. She affixed the bandages and helped apply pressure. A couple minutes later an ambulance showed up and multiple squad cars. The medics rushed to the back yard with a stretcher. Soon Fox was loaded up and Gail accompanied him to the hospital. Dov went to clean himself up and Sam sat down in the yard and allowed himself to decompress.

"Brother, what happened?"

Sam looked up to Shaw standing over him. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there. He rubbed his eyes, re-focused, stood up, and filled Oliver in.

"Let's get you in my truck, until SIU gets here. Where's Epstein and Peck?"

"Peck went with Foxx in the ambulance. Dov is getting cleaned up."

"I'll find him, put him in your car. Um, McNally is gonna be here soon, working the scene. Don't talk to her if she gets here before SIU does. Go with them, give your statement. It sounds like a clean shoot. Then you can talk to her later.

"Yeah, I got it."

"Listen Sammy, you did good. The other two didn't fire. If you hadn't, Jake might never have made it to the hospital.

* * *

Andy arrived on scene and met up with Oliver in the front yard. "Where's Sam?"

"SIU already took him back to the station. We've got another problem."

"What's that?"

"Follow me." Oliver led her into the house, which was a split level, and down to the lower floor and a side room to the left of the stairs. Inside was a body.

"Who is it."

"Billy Fisher, according to the landlord, he's the principle renter of this place. This is the roommate of our dead driver."

"Then who is the guy Sam shot?"

"Still trying to figure that out. No I.D. on him. Anderson is on her way down to work this. I'm also waiting to hear back from Drug Squad if Parker or Fisher were involved in anything they knew about. Maybe that will point us at who the third guy is."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Supervise here until Detective Anderson arrives. I have to get back to make some more calls and check in with SIU. I'm going to detail Epstein to Homicide for this one so he'll be working it with Anderson. Who knows, might even have to get Guns and Gangs involved on that third guy if he's liked to anything. This could be really big."

"Yeah, too bad all three guys involved are dead."

"Hey, nobody said it'd be easy."

* * *

That evening Sam finally walked out of his interview with SIU. All parties agreed it appeared a clean shoot and Sam should be back on duty in a week or two after his mandatory leave. He walked up to his desk and signed off on some final things before he could leave. When he was just about finished, Andy stopped by.

"How are you doing?", she asked

"I think I'm good. I was a little shaky earlier as I came down from the adrenaline but I'm okay now."

"You want to talk about it."

"Nothing to talk about. I had to shoot. If I didn't, Foxx might be dead right now." Earlier he had heard that Jake had been stabilized and should make a full recovery. Back on the job in six weeks or so.

"Okay, I'll go change and then we can go home."

"What about the party?"

"I wasn't sure you'd want to go after today."

"I feel fine. We should go be there. At least for a little while."

"If you say so.

"I love you, McNally."

"I love you Sam Swarek." She kissed him deeply then walked off to the locker rooms.

Dov came up a minute later to log off his system and put his files away.

"Swarek. How did SIU go?"

"it went fine. Pretty straight forward stuff."

"That's what I said, too,"

"At least there's no missing weapon and there's an injured officer. Should help my case."

"Yeah, you'll be fine."

"What about you? You going to be able to hack it while I'm out of here?"

"I'll work with Detective Anderson on the murder at the house, we presume the perp to be the guy you shot but we still have to figure out who he is. I'll try to stay out of trouble."

"I bet you will."

"Listen, if you don't want to come to the penny tonight, we'll understand, no hard feelings."

"Epstein, right now I could use a drink."

Dov smiled, "Well, alright then."

After Epstein had left, Sam pulled out his phone and punched up a contact. The call went to voicemail. "Hey, it's Sam. I was just calling to check in, see how it's going. I had a bit of a rough day, had to shoot somebody. Anyway, I'll be off for a little while and I was hoping we could plan something out…


	28. Chapter 28

"Hey Swareks, we weren't sure we were going to see you here."

The party was in full swing when Sam and Andy walked through the door of the Black Penny. Oliver walked over and embraced the two of them.

"Are you kidding?", Sam said. "My partner got engaged, I needed to be here. No to mention the drinks," Sam grinned.

"Ah, yes. Angus, get these two a drink, would you?", Oliver yelled back towards the bar.

"Coming up," Angus yelled back.

Oliver, serious now, said, "How are you doing, really?"

"Like I told Andy, I was a little shaky earlier after the adrenaline wore off but I'm okay now," Sam said as the trio walked towards the bar.

"Good, good. What about mentally?"

"Good as ever," Sam grabbed his and Andy's drinks and handed his wife's to her before taking a hit on his own. "I had no choice. And from what I hear Foxx is going to make it."

"Okay, but you still have to go to the shrink. At least once before you can be cleared to come back."

Sam groaned and then wrapped an arm around Andy. "Thanks to this one, I've had some practice with 'opening up'," Sam made air quotes around the two words. "I guess I can manage one session."

"I know you will, brother. If you don't you'll drive yourself crazy sitting at home with your dog all day. Off the job while McNally's working. You'll miss it too much.

"In that case," Sam raised his glass with his soul mate and best friend, "here's to opening up."

Andy and Oliver laughed and said cheers as they clinked their glasses to Sam's.

"We're going to get a table," Sam said.

"Of course, of course. Enjoy yourselves. Take it easy. All that stuff. I'll be around.

"Bye Oliver," Andy said and Sam and she walked over to a table that had nobody currently laying claim to it. As soon as they sat down Sam felt his phone vibrating against his leg. He pulled it up and looked at the screen. "Marlo. I'm going to step outside to take this."

"She's calling you?"

"Actually, I called her and left a message. She's just returning my call. Be right back." He kissed Andy then walked outside. "How's it going Marlo?"

"Never mind about me you shot somebody?"

Sam explained the situation and Marlo agreed with him. "You did the only thing you could do. But listen Sam, it'll het you sooner or later and the harder you try to bury it the worse it'll be."

"Yeah, well, I feel fine now. And that's all I can control."

"Right. So, what's this you wanted to plan? Something with Mia?"

"I see why they put you in Intelligence."

"Right. More like, 'let's put her someplace where she can put together puzzles and not have to carry a gun'."

"Speaking of gigs, how's the new one going?"

"It good. Reliable schedule, which is great with Mia. Nice pay, like the people I work with. It's good."

"Glad to her it."

A pause followed, broken by Marlo. "Mia. What did you want to talk about?"

"Right. Well, I'm going to be off for at least a week or so waiting for the shooting to clear and then the shrink to clear me. I was wondering if maybe I could take Mia for a day, you know, instead of taking her to daycare. I could come down and pick her up. Maybe take you guys out to eat if it works out."

"That could work. What about Andy? Would she be coming too."

"I don't know her schedule yet. She's pretty busy, with the sergeants posting and all so it might very well just be me. Maybe Boo, also," Sam grinned.

Marlo lightly laughed. "That sounds great Sam. How 'bout this. I'll check my schedule and call you back tomorrow night or something."

"That works. Thanks, Marlo."

"No problem. I do feel bad she doesn't see you more."

"I know. I do too. But we do the best we can."

"Yeah…uh, well, I'll talk to you. Good night Sam."

"Goodnight." Sam clicked off and went back inside. Andy was waiting for him at their table. "You're still here, I figured you'd me milling about."

"nah, Traci came by when she saw me alone. Thought maybe you didn't come and I was here alone. I told her you were outside on the phone. Speaking of which…"

"I called her earlier to see about taking Mia a day this week since I'll be off. She said she would check her schedule and call me back tomorrow."

"How is she?", Andy asked.

"Knew this was coming," Sam smiled. "Believe it or not, she sounded good. Peaceful. Not rambling or distracted. Not depressed or worked up. She seemed normal."

Andy raised an eyebrow at Sam.

"Really. Maybe whatever was going on passed."

"Do you even believe something was going on or do you think I'm crazy."

"Andy, you're not crazy. I think something happened. Maybe she really was feeling unwell. Maybe she was closer to Officer Young than I thought and the death shook her. I don't know. There are a lot of possibilities. But right now, she seems good. And Mia is doing great. Those are the important things."

"Yeah, I… you're right."

"When I get Mia, I'll get a better read, but that's the best I got right now."

Andy half smiled. "I wish I could be with you whatever day that ends up being but I'm swamped at work right now and I can't take a day right now."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take pictures for you and give you a full report when I get back."

"How full?"

"I won't leave a detail out." They both smiled and shared a kiss. "Now why don't we go look for Epstein and Price and give them our best?"

Sam stood up taking Andy's hand in his. "Lead the way, Detective."

* * *

Dov sat in Detective Anderson's office, a little hung over from last night's celebrating, reading though what little they had put together on the 3 guys. The test results had just come back and I.D. the man Sam shot as Matt Reese. He was in the system with ties to the Dowling Crew. Marshall Parker and Billy Fisher had no documented ties but they could have been middle men or new into the crew. Dov wasn't going to rule anything out. Nash and Ward were working contacts to see if anybody in the gangs had heard of either of them.

"Theories? You got any?"

"Well it reads to me like maybe Parker and Fisher were selling dope. Maybe for a gang?"

"That's for Nash and Ward. What about the Fisher homicide?"

Dov quickly ran through the notes on that in his head. Found dead in the bottom floor. Wound on back of head consistent with blunt object. Specifically, a golf club. Conveniently, a bloody 3-iron was discovered on scene. Fisher been dead long before they got there.

"Maybe Reese comes by to pick up the money from the sales except it's not there. Say, Parker ran off with it and didn't tell Fisher. That would explain why he was in a hurry to get away, sliding through the stop sign."

"Keep going."

"Okay, Fisher looks for the money, it's not there, maybe he tells Reese he can't find it, maybe he doesn't. Either way, Reese kills him. Maybe Reese thinks Fisher and Parker were hiding it, holding out on him. So, he hides the body and starts looking. Except we disrupt him."

"Not bad."

"You have a better idea."

"Just bit, but I came up with something like that myself a while ago."

"What? When? Were you going to say something?"

"And ruin my chance to put you on the spot? Not in a million years."

Dov momentarily lost his focus then retrieved it again. "So, what now? Main suspect is dead."

"We still have to consider premeditation. Why did we find no fingerprints on the golf club?"

"Because he was wearing gloves?"

"if it's a crime of opportunity, in the moment like your theory says, would he stop to put on a pair of gloves? Why would he even have them?"

"It's cold outside?"

"Look at the notes, again. What residue was found on the club?"

Dov read through the evidence report. "Powder consistent with Latex gloves or similar. So, he brought those with him. He was planning to kill?"

"Bingo."

"Maybe business was not going so well between them."

"Maybe somebody ratted Parker out for running off with the money."

"You think Fisher would do that to his partner?"

"To save his own skin, hell yeah," Frankie said.

"Well, that worked out well for him."

"What do you say to this? We head over there and talk with the neighbors again."

"About what? The statements from yesterday all came up dry."

"We're not going to ask them about what they saw yesterday. Instead, ask them about the last while. Was there anything unusual happening? Were the same people coming by all the time? Like that."

Dov closed the file. "Well, I've got nothing better to go off of. Let's go."


	29. Chapter 29

A couple days into his time off from work, Sam found himself making the drive to Hamilton. He had arranged to meet Marlo and Mia at a diner for breakfast before Marlo had to go to work. Walked around and into the diner plan was to take her back to Toronto and they'd spend the day at his place.

He located the diner with relative ease and, in the lot next to it, spotted Marlo's car. He pulled in next to it and walked around and in the door. Marlo and Mia and staked out a booth by the windows on the other side of the door.

"Mia, look who's here. It's Dada!", Marlo excitedly said when Sam walked in. Mia looked where Marlo pointed and her face lit up when she saw who was approaching. Sam picked her up from her high chair, kissed her on top of the head and held her for a minute, making faces and interesting sounds. Marlo smiled and took a sip of her tea.

Sam returned Mia to the high chair and sat down across from Marlo. "It's good to see you two are looking well."

"Yeah, we are." Marlo smiled and they both watched Mia play with the pieces of cereal on the tray in front of her. Turning her attention back to Sam, "Uh, how have you been holding up? I'd say you look well but we both know that doesn't mean a whole lot when it comes to you and your feelings."

Sam grinned and nodded. "I'm holding it together. I have my therapist appointment in a couple days. Hopefully, I'll be cleared to get back. But today, I'm just happy to be with this little one."

The waitress came buy and dropped a coffee off for Sam and a couple of menus. "I'll be back in a bit for our orders."

"Speaking of which, what do you have planned?"

"I don't really have plans. You know me. I just figured I'd take her back to the city and we'd hang out at the apartment and chill."

Marlo laughed a little. "If all you're going to do is watch TV and play games with her in between naps, why don't you just use my place? Save some gas and time, you know."

"Are you sure? It's no problem-"

"Sam, it's fine, you wouldn't be inconveniencing me. I have a spare key," she reached into her purse and slid a key across the table. "Let yourself in, make yourself at home. Mia has a go-bag just inside the door by the table that's there. That should have everything you'd need. And I'll just see you there after work."

"Well, Marlo, that's very generous of you."

"Don't mention it."

The waitress returned and Sam and Marlo realized they should probably look at the menus.

* * *

Sam opened the door to Marlo's place and immediately noticed the bag of supplies. Sam carried Mia into the living room and placed her in her play pen. Sam played games with her and entertained both of them until Mia made it clear she was ready for a nap. Sam placed Mia in the crib in Marlo's room and made sure the baby monitor was on. He grabbed the remote and shut the door quietly behind her. He went back to the living room and flipped around on the TV looking for something good to watch. He landed on some hockey news program and figured for the middle of the day that was good enough.

A little while later it occurred to him that Marlo's place was in great condition. Well kept, uncluttered, very clean. No signs of anything untoward happening with Marlo. That paired with her manner in person really cleared Sam's mind, and he'd be happy to tell Andy about it later. Once the commentators had him convinced that next year the Maple Leafs would make a playoff push he turned the tv off. Making sure the volume on the baby monitor was up all the way, he laid his head back for a nap of his own.

He was awoken by the sound of his phone ringing. Not sure how long he'd been asleep but groggy nonetheless, he looked at the screen. It was Andy. He sat up on the couch and answered. "Hey Sweetie. What's happening?"

"Oh, the usual. Had a car stalled on a railroad track. So, I sat on it with some other units until the tow truck got there."

"Wow, heavy stuff. And here we were just enjoying a relaxing snooze. What time is it anyway?"

"About 11. I was calling to see if you two would be interested in meeting for lunch somewhere."

"Well, McNally that sounds great. But you'll have to give us some time. We're down in Hamilton."

"What are you doing down there?"

"Marlo offered to let us hang out at her place, for convenience sake."

"Oh, I see. How is everything down there?"

Sam knew what she really wanted to know with that vague question. "It's good. Marlo and Mia are great. Her place is pretty nice too. A nice comfortable couch."

"Really? No photo arrays from investigations and mountains of files?"

"McNally, there's not even a single dish in the sink."

"Wow, okay. So, all seems well."

"Yes, it does."

"Then I guess you're right. Whatever may have been going on has passed. Well, as long as they are both doing well that's what matters."

"My thoughts exactly."

"About lunch?"

"Right, give me a minute to get her ready and we can meet you somewhere. An hour or so?"

"Sounds good. Just let me know where."

"I love you, McNally."

"I know."

* * *

Dov and Frankie were knocking on doors again, as they had been doing on and off for the last couple days, hoping for something that could help make some inroads on this case. To this point, they were coming up empty. They met back at the car.

"Anything?", Dov asked.

"Nada."

"We're close, I can feel it. We just need that one piece to break this thing wide open."

"We need to sit down with the other detectives on this thing. Put all of our notes together and try to piece something. Doing this all separately is getting us nowhere."

"Okay, I'll call Nash and tell her."

"Do that, Blackstone tried to call me, maybe he's got something. Tell them we'll meet back at 15.

Dov pulled out his phone and called Traci.

"Nash."

"Hey Trace, you getting anywhere?"

"Not really. None of our files have either of the roommates linked to any of the major players. And according to Ward, Reese hasn't been on the radar since before the Dowling Crew fell apart after we busted Jackson Irving."

"So, whatever he may have been a part of seems to be in the past."

"Yeah, pretty much. What about you two?"

"We've got less than you. Absolutely nothing. Either nobody's seen anything or nobody wants to talk. Detective Anderson is calling in drug squad, maybe they've heard of these guys. Either way, she wants a sit down. Us, you two, and them back at 15. You know put everything together and try to find a link somewhere."

Frankie, who was still in the car, honked the horn a couple times.

"Trace, I got to go. See you in a bit." Dov hung up and walked over to the car.

"Get in," Frankie reached across and popped the door for Dov

"What's happening?"

"Blackstone said Drug squad knew of these guys." Frankie peeled away, living up to her reputation as a maniac when driving. "Apparently they've been on the two for a little bit now. He said Fisher and Parker were dealing in narcotics, mainly meth. Which is what we thought. What Drug Squad was working on is identifying their supplier."

"Interesting. That could maybe explain a few things."

"Yeah, it could. Detective Blackstone is meeting us at 15. You get Nash and Ward?"

"Yeah, they'll be waiting for us."

They met upstairs in the Guns and Gangs Office. There was a conference room up there were they set out all of the files and notes and hung up the pictures.

Blackstone walked in a few minutes after they got it all set up. He walked up to the board and tapped on the photo of Parker. "This guy, Marshall Parker, we know was dealing. We suspect the roommate, Billy Fisher, was as well. But what we really wanted was to pin down their supplier. Now they're dead and we got nothing."

"What we do know," Dov spoke up, "is that Matt Reese came to Parker and Fisher's house prepared to kill. Detective Anderson and I believe he was in fact planning on it."

"And we know," Juliet said, "That Reese use to have ties to the Dowling Crew, but those were all in the past. Before the Crew collapsed after the Irving arrest."

"Then he aligned with somebody else," Blackstone said.

"Maybe, but he hasn't even been on the radar since then," Traci pulled the Reese file to her. "This is a guy with a long record with the Dowling crew. Would he really be silent after that with a new crew?"

"Let me see that," Blackstone grabbed the file and glanced at the relevant information. "All of these arrests are for things like possession with intent. Nothing personal on his own. So, maybe his new crew has him doing different work."

"Then how come we haven't heard of him?", Traci asked.

"I've got a theory," Frankie said. "Let me know what you think. I think somehow Parker and Fisher found out you're on them. Work on the street maybe, I don't know. However, they find out and Parker goes to Fisher tells him they should take their money and split. Fisher instead calls their boss and tells him or her Parker's plan, hoping to gain favor and be spared. Instead, Parker takes off without Fisher, leaving him without the money. Meanwhile their supplier sends in Reese to eliminate both loose ends and hopefully recover the money but he didn't quite get there in time. He kills Fisher. At the same time Parker kills himself knowing that he's dead if he goes back to jail or even if he doesn't because he talks. Dead either way."

"That's quite a theory there, Detective," Blackstone said.

"It works for me," she said.

"Problem is, how do we prove it?"

"Well, it would help if we got a look at the case notes you guys have on the two, maybe see were the leak could have happened."

"That's not going to happen."

"What do you mean?", Traci stood up.

"Detectives, Drug Squad is not in the habit of giving out their ongoing case info, just in-case something were to leak to the wrong people or the wrong eyes were to see it. You can understand that, right?"

"No, I can't," Dov said.

"Ward, you used to work I.A., right? You can appreciate the need for keeping things close to the vest. Especially when information is already leaking.

"Maybe, in some cases. But I'm not sure I'd qualify this as one of them," she said.

"What do we do to get past this?", Anderson asked

"What about phones. Have you guys been able to trace any of the three guys' calls."

"Most of the common numbers trace back to a couple burners. Others are sporadic and unrelated," Dov said.

Blackstone let out a deep breath he'd apparently been holding. "Well, I'll take all of this, look through our stuff. And if anything comes up that could be useful to either of your investigations I'll let you know. Until then, leave this in the capable hands of the Drug Squad." Blackstone walked out of the room and made a call.

"So that's it," Dov said.

"For now," Traci said. "But I've heard that 'capable hands of the Drug Squad' line before and it didn't work out well. I'll bring Staff up to speed. Maybe he's got some ideas."


	30. Chapter 30

Traci walked down to Oliver's office, only to find it empty.

"Looking for Oliver?", Andy said behind her.

Traci turned to greet her best friend. "Yeah, I just wanted to run something by him about the case we're working."

"The roommate drug dealers?"

"Yeah, that one. I'll give him a call."

"Oh, well, Oliver had to step out. He said he'd be right back though. Just had to run a quick errand."

"Something important, huh?"

"Ward and I along with Anderson and Dov just ahead a sit down with Detective Blackstone where he basically told us to walk away."

"So, you're looking to go over his head?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Keep me posted, will you? Sam will be interested where this goes."

"You got it. How's he doing, anyway?"

"He's doing good. He's got an appointment with the shrink in a couple of days. He's got Mia today. I was just about to go out and meet them for lunch."

"In that case, I won't hold you up. Say 'hi' to both of them for me."

"Will do Trace."

Traci went back up to her office and Andy went out to the parking lot and got into her truck. She and Sam decided to meet at a restaurant near the edge of the city, closer to Hamilton. She had allotted enough time for her to get down there and still be a little early.

Before leaving she texted Sam ' _Leaving 15 now.'_

' _See you soon_ ,' Sam sent back almost immediately.

Andy pulled out and began the drive.

A few minutes into the Drive Andy pulled to a stop at a red light and looked around. A light snowfall had been underway for some time and it was just enough to make the roads and sidewalks a little messy. Andy yawned and sat waiting for the light to turn when she heard the telltale sound of brakes not grabbing behind her.

She looked in the rear view mirror and understood that she was about to be rear-ended. She braced herself and when the inevitable collision occurred, the vehicle had enough force paired with the slippery conditions that Andy's truck was pushed into the intersection. Right into the path of a bus that couldn't stop. Then everything went black.

* * *

Chloe looked at her watch, "What do you have in mind for lunch?"

Gail was about to answer when a loud screech and bang sounded from nearby.

"Did you hear that?", Chloe asked.

"That loud crash? Yeah. It sounded close," Gail replied

Gail approached Spadina and prepared to turn down it when the radio went.

" _All units, we have a 10-50 involving 15S3 and a city bus. Queen and Spadina."_

"Shit, It's Andy." Gail hit gas and sirens simultaneously and Chloe radioed in them responding.

"This is 1504, We're in the immediate vicinity."

A flood of other units responded as well.

On scene a few seconds later Gail could make out Andy's truck pressed up against the nose of the bus and the railing of the street car stop there. There was also a van with a hole in the windshield in the intersection. She got out and could hear sirens approaching from all directions.

"Chloe, check on the van. Looks like the driver may have been ejected." Grabbing her radio, "This is Peck, we're on scene. S3 is pinned between the nose of the bus and the street car stop. Also appears a van was involved. We need EMS rushed!"

Chris and Marcy pulled up next. Gail took control of the scene. "You two check out the bus, I got Andy." They rushed around to the other side of the bus and Gail raced over to Andy's truck.

" _This is Price, van driver was ejected. She's unresponsive. I can't get a pulse."_

" _Price, this is Shaw, stay with the driver until the medics get there, I'm close."_

Nick got there next and rushed to aid Gail at Andy's truck.

"1519, we have multiple injuries in the bus! Where are the medics?", Chris' voice echoed out of both Nick and Gail's radios.

" _5 minutes out._ "

"Andy! Andy! Can you hear me?" Gail had climbed onto the hood of the truck and was looking through the cracked windshield. Andy's head was slumped forward into the airbag and her body was twisted awkwardly.

Nick ran around to the passenger door and tried to force the door open but it was jammed and he smashed open the window with his baton instead. "Gail! Come here. I'll boost you in."

She slid off the hood and planted a boot in his cupped hands. He lifted her up and she dove though the window. She tried the handle and the door only opened a little. She gave it a couple kicks and eventually she got it open enough that Nick was able to pull it the rest of the way.

"Andy? Andy?"

Andy's consciousness returned and she opened her eyes to more darkness. Then a serious pain in her right leg. Then she registered someone pressing into her neck, then Gail's voice. She lifted her head and immediately felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. Then she noticed the air bag and blood on it. Her blood. "What happened?", she managed to get out.

"Andy, you were in an accident. EMS is almost here, just sit tight."

"Sam…,"

"We'll call him, don't worry."

" _This is Shaw I'm on scene. What's the status on Sergeant McNally?",_ Oliver's voice came over all of their radios.

"Collins here, she's awake for now. Pinned in, however. Awaiting medics."

"Don't worry Andy, you're gonna be okay. Just try to relax and breathe. We're right here," Gail said.

* * *

Dov came down from Guns and Gangs to a bustle of activity on the main floor. Officers were running around all over the place, mostly out towards the parking lot. He grabbed one of them. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Some big TC, Detective. One of ours and a bus."

"Who is it?"

"Sergeant McNally."

"Ah, hell." Dov ran back upstairs and barreled into Traci's office where she and Ward were still seated, discussing options.

"Forget something Epstein?", Juliet said.

"It's Andy. She was in an accident. It sounds bad."

They sprung up and raced down the hall with Dov.

Oliver was surveying fire rescue working to extricate McNally from her truck when Dov, Traci and Juliet got there. She was still conscious and aware of what was happening which was good. But she was banged up. Nobody on the bus had been killed but there were a few with serious injuries and many more with minor ones. The driver was in shock but otherwise unharmed beyond being sore all over. As Price said earlier, the medics confirmed the driver of the van was dead.

"What happened here?", Traci asked Oliver.

"Witness said the van rammed Andy from behind, forced her into the intersection where the bus t-boned her."

"Damn, how is she?", Dov asked.

"Alive but beat up. They just got her out and loaded up."

"I'm gonna go with her," Traci said and ran off to get in the ambulance.

"I'll go talk to the witness, Juliet said and walked over to a crowd of onlookers at the perimeter."

"Where's Chloe?", Dov asked.

"Uh, still with the dead body. She's sitting on it until forensics gets here."

"Got it," Dov said and went to check on his fiancé.

"Chloe, you guys were first on scene?"

"Yeah, Gail sent me to find the driver, she was ejected from there," Chloe pointed to the hole in the windshield. "She went to check on Andy. Is she out yet?"

"Yeah, they just loaded her up, Traci is going with her. She's alert."

"That's good." Chloe took a couple deep breaths.

Dov walked over to the driver's door of the van and pulled it open. The seat belt was in its fully retracted state, which made since considering the ejection. Dov looked around a bit more and was about to close the door when, in the floorboard, a cell phone vibrated. Dov picked it up and found that it didn't have any screen lock on it. The phone opened up to its text messaging app.

"Chloe, do you know what time the accident happened at?"

"Uh, yeah, it was 12:13. I know because I looked at my watch right before it happened. I was asking Gail about lunch when-"

"Look at this," Dov scrolled through the text's timestamps. "She was texting when she rammed into McNally. I got to go tell Shaw."

He jogged over to Oliver, still standing in the same spot. "Oliver, the driver of the van was texting when this happened.

Oliver sighed and rubbed his eyes. "So she's distracted, realizes too late that she needs to stop, and in these conditions has no chance."

"Yeah."

"Okay, bag the phone."

"Yep." Dov went to his car and opened the trunk.

"Staff?"

Oliver looked to see Nick walking over. "Andy's phone was in the cup holder. There's a bunch of texts and calls from Sam. It looks like she was going to meet him somewhere."

Oliver took her phone. "Okay, I'll call him, and let him know."

Nick nodded and headed back from where he came.

Oliver realized his phone was still in his truck so he went to get it only to find a couple missed calls from Sam on there too. He called his best friend back.

"Well, it's about time somebody answered me. Mia and I are-"

"Sam, it's Andy."


	31. Chapter 31

Sam was rushing as fast as he could, while still driving safely, back to Toronto. If Mia wasn't with him he'd be driving with all his police skills, but he dialed it back a bit. Still, Mia was upset. She was probably picking up on Sam's mood which ranged from worried to angry and back. Worried for the obvious reasons. Angry because there was nothing he could do or have done to prevent this from happening. Angry that this did happen because somebody was being stupid and texting while driving. And, not only that, but in winter weather conditions. With that thought in mind, Sam eased up a bit on the gas and reigned himself in. It wouldn't help anybody if he got in an accident on the way to the hospital in an attempt to get there just a few minutes sooner. Having been in enough rushes to the hospital before, he should have known that he'd be waiting awhile, whether he got there now or fifteen minutes from now.

Still, it was Andy. The love of his life. The only person in the world that could complete him, understand him, and quite likely, be able to love him given the man he'd been. But she changed that. Changed him. Made him a man that could be a father. Not just a father but a good father. Maybe even a great one. Someone that actually wants to have a family, not somebody who lives with the burden of one. He and his dad were two very different people, and Sam couldn't be more thankful for it. But if it wasn't for McNally, he knew he could never honestly say anything close to that.

Sam was snapped out of his thoughts by his phone ringing. He picked it up on speaker phone.

"Yeah?"

It was Oliver. "I got Collins waiting for you. He's gonna escort you once you get into town. You're still on the same course."

"I am, almot to the city line."

"Alright, I'll let Nick know. Listen, I got an update from Traci. They took her into Surgery. She was still conscious and alert, so that's good."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, I'll see you in a bit."

Sam clicked off and swallowed back a knot that had been forming in his throat. A little tension let off. She's alive. She's awake. She's aware. She certainly was tough. But then again, Sam already knew that. Not that he'd ever publicly admit it, but she may give him a run for his money on that front. That thought put a sight grin on his face and for the first time in a while he was feeling something other than anger and worry.

Sam was right on the border of the city now and he could see a Metro Police squad car on the shoulder up ahead. Apparently, Nick saw him approaching because he flipped on his lights and pulled out in front of Sam. Sam fell in behind but was happy to see that Nick was driving with good haste as well. "We're on our way, Andy. Hold on," Sam said just above his breath.

* * *

Back at the scene of the crash, the wreckers were hauling away the vehicles. All of the rest of the victims had been triaged and treated accordingly. Juliet had talked to all of the witness and was in the process of getting official, signed statements from them. Dov was trying to track down next of kin for the deceased driver by going through her phone. He couldn't find any contact with the same last name to indicate siblings or parents. He did see a name for a daycare center in her phone. He hoped beyond hope that she worked there, that he wasn't dealing with an orphaned child because of this stupid tragedy. He ran the woman's driver's license and pulled up her records. No criminal record. Her name was Maria Carson. Relatively clean driving record. Just some basic parking tickets and a couple moving violations. Common-enough stuff. He wrote down her address and logged out of the computer in his car. HE walked over to Oliver who was on the phone in his truck.

"-and alert, so that's good."

Dov waited for him to finish the phone call, which was obviously about Andy.

"Yeah, I'll see you in a bit." Oliver hung up. "What do ya got?"

"No family I could find, easily. I'll keep looking though. Clean record, seems like a normal person."

Ward walked up then. "I got all the statements. Basically, all saying the same thing. Van doesn't stop, slams into McNally and pushes her into the intersection right in front of the oncoming bus. AS Far as she goes, do we have a name?"

"Maria Carson," Dov Supplied.

"Ms. Carson ejected thorough the windshield on impact, landed awkwardly on the road, and never moved. Probably broke her neck enough to kill her instantly."

"I'll get Price to go with the body to the coroner and confirm."

Juliet nodded and looked at Dov. Oliver followed suit.

Taking the hint, Dov continued, "Uh, I have an address for her-"

"Can I see that?", Juliet copied it down into her notes under the newly added name.

Dov carried on, "I was thinking of going to talk to the neighbors to see if they know of any family. I also found a daycare number in her phone. I'm hoping she worked there, but, well, you know."

"Yeah, I do," Oliver said grimly. They all had to be prepared for the worst. "That's good. Both of you. Something to follow up on. I'm going to be at the hospital if you guys need anything."

"Epstein, if you want to go to the hospital, be with your partner and friends, that's fine. I can run this stuff down," Juliet offered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, of course. These leads have to be run down now and I'm the least connected to McNally so I should be the one to do it. Police work, it never rests."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," Dov said and took off for his car. "Keep me posted," he yelled over his shoulder.

"Yeah, Ward, thanks for taking one for the team," Oliver said. "Although, I'm hesitant to send you solo on this. But we're kind of thin right now considering.

"Sir, I'll be fine. I'm just door knocking and talking to neighbors. Nothing will happen. But, if it'd make you feel better, I'll even keep the vest on."

"It would. I'll try to send someone your way if somebody opens up."

"Sure, you know where I'll-"

"I'll go," they both noticed Gai for the first time, who had apparently been listening in on the conversation.

"You?", Juliet asked. "She was most confused by Gail wanting to work with her on a personal level but didn't want to voice that right in front of Oliver so she used the most convenient evasion. "I'd assumed you'd want to be at the hospital with your…friends…, and be there for Andy."

"Nah, don't really like them. Hospitals, I mean. All the sick people and the smell of death. Plus," all serious now, "if there is an orphaned child because of this, I want to be involved."

Oliver and Juliet both understood. "Well Peck, it sounds like you made up your mind," Oliver said. "I won't try to change it. Just stay safe and keep me posted. And when you're done, get to the hospital. I don't care how much you dislike them," he eyeballed Gail then looked at Juliet before closing his door and taking off for Memorial.

"Shall we?", Gail asked.

"Lead the way."

* * *

The emergency room entrance at Memorial was a mess, clogged up with ambulances and police cars. Inside was no different. Many patients from the bus were in there along with their family and friends. There were other patients that found their way there for various reasons. Then there was the plethora of cops congregating and waiting for news. Sam pushed through it all to the desk, carrying Mia in her carrier. To the lady at the desk he said, "Hi, Andria McNally? I'm her husband."

The attendant pulled up Andy's file.

"Sam? Let me buzz you through and we'll take you through to the recovery ward. You can wait for her there."

"Great, thanks." He turned around and saw Traci a few feet away talking to Chris. He walked over. "Hey."

"Swarek, glad you're here," she said.

"Yeah, they're taking me back to recovery. Can I give you Mia for a bit? I called Marlo but I couldn't get ahold of her. Hopefully she can get here soon."

"Yeah, yeah, no worries. We'll take good care of her." Traci grabbed the carrier form Sam and Chris took the go-bag.

"Thanks guys, I owe ya." He caught back up with the attendant and she walked him through the maze of hallways and to an elevator that dumped them off a couple floors up. Some more turns and he found himself in a much quieter waiting room.

"Is there a doctor I can talk to?", he asked.

"Yeah, I'll page the ER doc that saw her to come up and see you."

"Thank you."

"If you need something, those guys over there will help you," she pointed a nurse's station a little way down an adjacent hallway. When he left Sam leaned his head back and shut his eyes. Not sleeping, he just wanted to block everything out and try to relax, as best he could, until the doctor came to see him.

He was jostled out of that by his phone ringing. It was Marlo.

"Hey Sam, I'm sorry about missing your call. I was out of my office for a bit and left my phone there. What's up? Is everything good with Mia?"

"Marlo, It's Andy." Sam filled her in on what he knew, which wasn't much, yet. But again, what little he did know was encouraging.

"I'll leave right now. Give me an hour."

"Mia's with Traci and Chris in the main ER waiting room. I'll let them know you're on your way."

"Okay, yeah, I'm walking out of my office now."

"Mr. Swarek?"

Sam noticed a 30-something woman in scrubs and a doctor's coat standing next to him. It said 'Emergency Medicine' on it. "Listen Marlo, the doctor just got here, I gotta go. Talk later."

"Hi, Sam," he offered his hand and the doctor shook it.

"Doctor Simms," she said. "First off, your wife was conscious and very alert. We checked for any signs of head trauma and didn't find any."

"That's good."

"Yeah, that let us operate on her. She has a fractured left humerus and right femur. SO that's what they're working on.

"Okay, okay." Sam processed that information and said a prayer of thanks that it wasn't worse.

"Just try to relax here, they know you're here so they'll come get you when she's out and moved into a room.

Sam took a deep breath, "Thank you, doctor."

Dr. Simms nodded and took off back down the hall. Sam sat back down and tried to relax again. It was a little easier this time after talking with her. But he still wouldn't feel a whole lot better until Andy was out of surgery and he was in the same room with her.


	32. Chapter 32

Gail pulled to a stop in front of Maria Carson's house. She lived in a pleasant looking residential neighborhood in a ranch style house.

"You want to split up? I go right you go left?", Gail asked when they stepped out.

"No, let's do this together. Hopefully we don't have to knock on too many doors."

Gail shrugged and followed Juliet to the neighbor on the left. Juliet knocked on the door and a woman about their age answered. "Officers, what can I do for you?"

"Hi, I'm Officer Ward, this is Officer Peck. We just had a couple questions about your neighbor, Ms. Carson."

"Oh, my. Did something happen?"

"We're not at liberty to divulge any information. But we were hoping you could be able to tell us if there was any other family that lived there. Or maybe somebody she spoke of."

"Well besides her daughter, she lives alone."

"Her daughter?", Gail asked.

"Yeah, Lacey. But she's real young, 4 or 5. I don't think that's going to help you."

"Actually," Juliet said, "Do you happen to know where Lacey is? School maybe?"

"Yeah, she goes to the same school as my boy. He's in grade 2 though, she's only in kindergarten. You want the number for there?"

"If you could," Juliet said.

"Sure, let me get it." She disappeared back in to the house.

"I'm going to call social services, get them started on this," Gail said.

"Here you go," the neighbor handed Ward a piece of paper with the school's name, number and address on it.

"What about Lacey's father? Is he ever around?", Juliet asked.

"No, I've never seen him. I think he may be in jail.

"Thank you," Juliet said. "You've been very helpful. Can I get your name for my notes?"

Gail took the piece of paper and relayed the information through to Children's Services. Back in the car she said, "They're sending somebody over to the school. She'll be in their care until we can find a next of kin."

"Maybe she'll know of somebody. A cousin, or uncle, or something for us to follow," Juliet said, searching for some hope.

* * *

The crowd in the ER waiting room was starting to fade away. Some cops had left either back on shift or gone home. The rush of victims from the accident scene had been survived and everything was starting to return to normal there. Oliver walked in and looked around, spotting Nash holding Mia. He walked over and sat down next to them.

"Isn't she beautiful? Mia, you don't look too bad either," Oliver tried to joke to ease some tension.

"Yeah, right," Traci played along. "What a day."

"Yeah. Where's Sammy?"

"They took him to wait in the recovery area."

"Any updates?"

"He texted me, broken arm and leg. No head trauma or more serious injuries."

"That's really good to hear. So, what are we going to do with the little one?"

"Sam says Marlo's on her way."

Oliver nodded and they sat in some silence, reflecting on how they got there that day. "Oh, I got your message, you wanted to run something by me?"

Traci took a moment for her mind to click back on to that track. "Right. Well, Anderson, Epstein, Ward and I had a meeting with Jacob Blackstone today, about the drug dealing roommate case. At the end of it he said he couldn't give us drug squad's files, he didn't have clearance or the squad doesn't do that kind of thing. Something like that. Anyway, he basically told us to walk away and, I quote 'leave it in the capable hands of the Drug Squad.'"

"Yeah, we've heard that before."

"And it didn't go all that well."

"So, what are you thinking about doing?"

"I'm not sure. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You mean, you wanted to know if I could throw my rank around, help out a bit. Maybe bring in Jarvis for some extra muscle?", Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't put it that way…"

"I'm just messing with you, Nash. Don't worry about it. I call over there tomorrow, talk to his boss and see if we can't come to an understanding."

"Thanks Staff. If we don't at least get something from those files, we're at dead ends all around."

Oliver was about to say something else when his phone rang. "Shaw."

He listened as Juliet filled him in on what they figured out. "Good work, both of you. Get over here, you've done what you can. I'll call Price and see if she's got anything." He hung up and dialed Chloe.

"Hey Price, you got anything for me?"

"Well, C.O.D. confirmed. Broken neck from the ejection and impact so no surprises there. Toxicology results came back clean for narcotics and alcohol. So, it really seems like a case of bad conditions and texting that caused the accident. Speaking of which, How's Andy? Dov texted me that she was still awake and they took her to surgery."

"Yeah, they did. A broken arm and leg, nothing else serious so she got lucky."

"That's a relief. Like I can't even tell you the wave of stress and tension rolling off of me finally. It was a lot."

"Listen Price, can you check something in her records? Are they convenient?"

"Uh yeah, they're right here. What do you need?"

"We're struggling to locate a net of kin for her. Do her records list an emergency contact?"

"Let me check. Uhm, …, young daughter, …, here we go. Maybe something."

"What is it?"

"Lists an uncle, Jason Carson, of Buffalo, New York. He's not an emergency contact, per se. But he's the closest alive relative that I can see."

"Good work, I'll get Epstein to run that. You can leave and come over here if you want. If there isn't going to be anything else."

"Yeah, I'll check with the coroner one more time but I think we're done here."

"Sounds good."

Oliver stood up and, after hanging up, said he was going to the cafeteria. He needed a lemonade. And a sandwich, no pickles.

* * *

A couple hours later, Marlo had come, picked up Mia, and gone. Most of the cops had also left with the exception of Traci and Oliver. They were hanging around until Andy woke up. She was out of surgery but still under the anesthesia. Sam was now in the recovery room with her, holding her hand. He didn't know what else he could do. Virtually, everybody they cared about was at the hospital at some point today. The only exception being Andy's dad, Tommy. He was enjoying his annual sobriety cruise and would be out of contact for some time. They'd just have to fill him in later. Sam even called his sister, Sarah, and left a message letting her know. He wasn't sure why, but something inside told him he should do it.

Now he'd done everything he could and there was nothing else left but to be here, with his wife, waiting for her to wake up. The doctors told him she made it through the surgery very well. Both operations are, at this point, a success. Now, the only thing left to do was to wait.

At 15, Dov was working late. He had tracked down a number for Jason Carson and informed him of is niece's death. Mr. Carson didn't seem that troubled. He informed Dov that the whole family was pretty estranged from one-another. The news that he had a 4-year old great-niece didn't seem to have any effect with him. Dov felt like he was talking to a complete stranger, not a blood relative. Might as well have picked some random person on the street. Might have even gotten more sympathy or emotion. When he told Gail, who was also working late, she wasn't that phased by it.

"Families can be messed up, believe me," she said.

Dov knew that she had basically been disowned by her family for not lying in the stand during Steve's trial. But the Peck "family" was not the standard for a normal one. The Pecks were a legacy, more than a family. _Were_. Now that was over, and they laid the blame for that not only at Steve's feet for committing the crimes but also at Gail's for not covering for him.

"Did you inform Children's Services of that? That Lacey will probably have to be fostered, hopefully adopted?"

"Yeah, they're sending somebody over to talk with us and get Mr. Carson's information. They aren't holding out much hope either but they still have to talk to him."

"Well, you can handle that. I'm going home."

As if on cue, Frankie emerged from her office and walked over to them. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Dov walked with them to the front door and through to the reception area just as a woman walked in, stuffing a file into her bag. Dov knew a social worker when he saw one. She looked up and Dov recognized her but couldn't place it. He wasn't the only one who recognized her either.

"Lauralee?"


	33. Chapter 33

A/N Hey guys! I'm sorry about the delay in releasing an update. I was on vacation and just got back into town yesterday. I rushed to get down the ideas I thought of while I was gone and put this together in a bit of a hurry for you guys. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and, we should be returning to a more normal release interval. Enjoy :)

* * *

The rush of emotion hit Gail like a truck. Thoughts of Sophie threatened to overwhelm her. Barely holding all of that within, she instead put on a smile on embraced the social worker.

"Gail, it's so nice to see you! How have you been?"

Gail opened her mouth to say something biting, not directed at Lauralee, but in general. After all, she was Gail Peck. Instead, she reconsidered and said she was doing well, all things considered.

"Lauralee, this is Detective Anderson and Detective Epstein."

"A pleasure to meet you. Are both of you working the Carson case?"

"Uh, no. Just me," Dov said and Gail elbowed him almost immediately. "Oh, and many other fine officers. Like Officer Peck, here."

Lauralee smiled and said, "I'm glad this case is in such competent hands."

"Yeah, well, we'll let you talk to Epstein so you can get on with your night," Gail said. "It's really great to see you again." She could feel the façade she had put on beginning to crumble and wanted to rush out the door before it happened.

"Right, well take care of yourself, Gail."

Gail nodded then walked out the front door, Frankie trailing her. Outside, Gail leaned up against the wall and placed her hands on her knees trying to compose herself.

"What just happened? Were you and she ever…?", Frankie asked.

Gail breathed deeply a couple times, straightened, and wiped tears from her eyes. She shook her head," No, it's not that at all. It's different, about a girl named Sophie. I'd tell you but I'd rather do it with a drink."

"The Penny?"

"No, just the two of us."

"My place, then."

* * *

Dov pulled a chair up to the side of his desk and invited Lauralee to sit down.

"Thank you, Detective. So, who is Detective Anderson to Gail?"

"Uh, well…"

"I know she's a Lesbian, if that's what you're worried about. Remember, I was her case worker when she was trying to adopt Sophie."

"Right, no, it's not that. It's just that I'm not sure how to describe them. They definitely have a relationship. What that is, that's tough to describe. I'm not even sure they could."

"Ah, well, I'm happy for her. She deserves it after Holly, her brother, and then losing Sophie."

"Yeah, that sucked for her. I know she really cared for Sophie and wanted nothing more than to be a mom to her. But you have to understand how upside down her life was then. It was a horrible time for her and just really unfortunate."

"The important thing is that Sophie got placed in a great family and is doing wonderfully."

Dov nodded. "Well, not that I'm excited about it or anything, but it looks like you're getting another chance to work that magic."

"You really don't think there's any hope in a relative taking custody of Lacey?"

"No." Dov handed her the file her had on Lacey and her relatives, with focus on the uncle in Buffalo. "But, maybe you'll be able to talk it through with them so they see things differently."

"Yeah, hopefully. But if not, there's somebody out there who will want to have a daughter in their life. Somebody that will see her as a loved addition, not an unfortunate burden."

"Definitely, there is."

* * *

Andy woke up, groggy, felling distant from what she was seeing, blurry, almost like she was looking at it from afar. Then she felt something squeezing her hand.

"Hello darling."

"That voice snapped her too and she realized she was in a hospital bed and hooked up to a bunch of machines."

"How are you feeling?"

Andy rolled her head towards the voice and Sam ran a hand through her hair. "What happened?", she asked.

"You don't remember? You were in an accident."

Andy shit her eyes and processed that information. She was trying to work through the fog in her mind to remember what happened. But the after effects of the anesthesia were hindering that. "What happened?"

"Well, from what I understand, a car hit you and then a bus hit you."

Andy popped her eyes open, she was beginning to remember bits and pieces. "Is everybody okay?"

Sam appreciated his wife's selflessness. Caring about everyone else first. "The driver of the car died. A lot of people got hurt on the bus but nobody died. A lot of injuries like you."

"What do you mean?"

"Some broken bones, mostly. You broke an arm and a leg. No head trauma, so that's good. You also apparently had a pretty gnarly gash on your forehead. Might get a nice scar out of that."

Judging from her reaction, Sam thought the notion of a lingering scar bothered her more than the broken limbs. "We had units there very quick. Gail and Chloe were just around the corner when it happened, so that was good."

"Sam! Our lunch, with Mia. I'm sorry. I was going to meet you two. I remember that."

"Andy, are you kidding me? Don't be sorry. We're just happy you're going to be fine."

"How is she?"

"She's good. I left her with Nash when the hospital moved me up here. Marlo came and picked her up. Speaking of Nash, I have to call. She and Oliver have been waiting downstairs."

"For me? For how long?"

"Yeah, just until you woke up. It's been a little while," Sam smiled and grabbed his phone. I'll go get the nurse, tell them you're up." He stopped at the door and turned around. "Andy, really seriously, I'm so happy you pulled through this so well. If anything happened to you I'd completely self-destruct. I'm just lucky you're so tough."

"Hey, how many girlfriends have you had that could walk away from a bomb and an accident like that?"

Sam thought about it then held up two fingers before slipping out the door way.

Andy could only shake her head.

* * *

"You were that close to adopting her? And then I met you? Right after that?"

Gail nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."

"Wow. I'm so sorry I ripped you so hard that day. I wouldn't have if I'd known."

"How could you have. It's fine. I've accepted it. Sophie is in a great family now. Knowing that gives me solace and enough closure. In the end that's what I wanted most for her. I only wish I was the one providing it."

"Is that something you'd consider again."

Gail took a sip of her drink and pondered for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe. If I met a kid in a situation and I felt a real connection. Then, maybe. Not a great answer, I know."

Frankie said nothing but stared at Gail for a while.

"What?"

"I think you know you would. Not only that, but you want to be a parent still."

"How…Why…?"

"Gail, you've got that maternal side to you. You may keep it hidden to most. But those you let in close, we see it. To have you realize that and be so close, I think this is something you don't want to give up on. But you're trying to play it cool because you're Gail Peck."

"Oh yeah? What about you?"

"Being a mom? Yeah, I don't think that's my thing. But hey, who knows, right?"

"So, you think I should try to adopt again?"

"I think you still want to. And that's what matters."

"What about us. What would that do?"

"I don't know. We'd have to figure that out."

They both sat silently, sipping their drinks, unsure of what any of that meant.

* * *

The next day, Chloe and Dov came to visit Andy in the hospital.

"Hey guys, you didn't have to come visit me. They say I'll be out of here later today anyway."

"Ah, it was no problem," Dov said. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm feeling pretty good, considering. Not thrilled with the casts and immobilization. I should be out and back in a couple months or so. Maybe longer with rehab."

"Could have been worse," Dov said.

"Yeah, you would not believe that you're this good if you saw your truck," Chloe added.

Andy smiled, "Yeah, Sam said I told Sam I was tough. Maybe I was just lucky. Chloe, you and Gail getting there so quickly. Not getting hurt that badly. It's like someone was watching out for me."

"Maybe you're tough and lucky," Dov said. "Where is Sam, anyway?"

"He's down in the cafeteria getting some food for us."

"Okay, I'm gonna head down there, have to run something by him."

Dov left leaving Chloe and Andy alone. "So, only a couple months and you should be out of those things?", Chloe asked.

"Yeah, that's what they say."

"Good, good. Because I wanted to ask you something." Chloe began pacing for a moment. "Would you be my maid of honor?"

Andy smiled wide, "Me?"

Chloe nodded anxiously.

"Why me?"

"Well, you did save my life that day in the park. And I caught your bouquet at your wedding."

"There wasn't much challenge there," Andy remarked.

"Still, there's the tradition that goes with that and now that I'm getting married I figured I owed it to you a couple times that I'm here."

"I see."

"So, you'll do it?", Chloe wore a huge smile.

"I'd be honored. Do, you guys have a date in mind?", Andy was barely able to get the question out before Chloe wrapped her up in a gentle hug.

"Not specifically, something in May or June probably."

"That sounds lovely."

"It does, and it'll give you time to shed the casts, so you can look great and do some dancing, too."

"Definitely."

* * *

Oliver sat in his office, on the phone with the Sergeant of Drug Squad. "Let me get this straight, you're telling me you have nothing on any of these guys?"

"That's what I'm saying. Who told you we did?"

"You guys. Detective Blackstone came in to talk to some of my detectives about the case. He said the roommates, Parker and Fisher were subjects of an ongoing Drug Squad investigation," Oliver said, getting a little frustrated.

"Well, there's nothing in our system with those names. And nothing on their address either. What was the name of the guy your Detective shot at the scene?"

"Reese, Matt Reese. We see it as he killed Fisher at the house. Parker killed himself when two of my officers pulled him over on a simple traffic stop. He also had a bag full of money in the back. Cash in small bills mostly. Lots of it."

"Yeah, that all sounds pretty interesting, like there is something going on. But we got nothing on those two guys. Reese, has some priors, but they're pretty old."

"Yeah, that's what we're seeing too."

"I'm sorry Staff Sergeant, but we have nothing. And I'll have to ask Blackstone about that whenever he comes in."

"Wait, wait. What do you mean 'whenever he comes in'?"

"Well, he went home early yesterday and called in sick today."

"Huh. Listen, can you let me know what he has to say when you talk to him. Because he basically told us to take a hike and leave it to you guys. But now you're telling me you guys have nothing going on."

"Will do. I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Sergeant Becker."

"No problem, sorry we couldn't be of more help."

Oliver hung up and called Traci's desk. "Hey Nash, I just talked to Sergeant Becker at Drug Squad. Why don't you assemble the team and meet me in my office? I've got something you'd all probably like to hear."


	34. Chapter 34

"So exactly what are we saying?", Dov asked after Oliver ran through the highlights of his call with Sgt. Becker. "Blackstone's dirty?"

"Let's no go there yet," Oliver pleaded. "It definitely seems he's up to something, I'll grant you that. But maybe he's working something off the books. We've all done that, fight?"

The collected group of Detectives Epstein, Anderson, Nash, and Officer Ward all nodded or grunted an acknowledgement.

"So, what now? Back to square one with no leads? Just let it go?", Traci asked.

"Look, I don't like it either, but my hands are tied. _Our_ hands are tied." Oliver held his hands together at the wrists to simulate them being bound. "This isn't over, not by a long shot. Becker is looking into it on his end and he's going to let me know what he finds. Maybe then we can have something to go on, some leads or evidence. The one thing we can't do is go around accusing decorated detectives on major task forces of being dirty without anything more than just suspicion."

"That's it? Let Drug Squad find out if there is a dirty cop in their unit, the discovery of which could wreak havoc on said unit?", Frankie unfolded her arms and leaned forward on her perch. "Forgive me for being skeptical."

Oliver sighed. "I know this isn't easy what I'm asking you to do but you have to trust me. I know Becker from back in the academy days. He's good police. If something's up he wouldn't bury it. For now, that's the best we can do. Okay? Good. Now then, in a big city like this, I'm sure there's a homicide or two for Detective Anderson to jump in to and Guns and Gangs should have enough to keep you two busy," he pointed to Juliet and Traci. "Alright, dismissed. Except for Epstein."

The other cops filed out of his office and Dov turned to Oliver. "Sir?"

"Take a seat," Oliver indicated the chairs in front of his desk and Dov took one. "Epstein, I'm detaching you from your homicide detail. Back to regular duty. I want you to follow up on Lacey Carson for the next couple days. Also work the accident case file. Make sure everything is good on our end. SIU and traffic will handle the rest. Then in a couple more days it sounds Like Sam will be back and you'll go back to normal again. Sound good?"

Dov nodded but didn't feel it. He wanted to keep working the drug case. He was just starting to get somewhere when Blackstone pulled the rug out from under them. And now that something was going on there he was itching to put his intelligence unit skills to use and figure it out. Instead he said, "Yes, sir." He walked out and back towards his desk.

Dov didn't have to say anything. Oliver knew all of them well enough to know what they felt about most situations. As he leaned back in his chair and stared out at the platoon from his office, Oliver considered that it was a small conciliation that he felt as bad about how this as the other four did. But he had to do it this way. Jarvis wouldn't go for sneaking around the back of Sergeant Becker. And IA couldn't be brought in without evidence. Now it was a waiting game. Something would crack, something always does. The only question was would they be able to wait it out.

* * *

Andy was out of the hospital and relaxing at home on the sofa, or trying to. She couldn't quite get comfortable while also accommodating her casts. Sam was trying to help as much as he could and she appreciated it. But soon he would be back to work and she would have to rely on herself for some basic things.

Sam, himself, was getting showered and dressed for his appointment with the department psychologist. If all went well he'd be clear to return to duty as early as tomorrow. But paperwork could always take a little longer she knew. Her husband appeared from their room in one of his patented jeans and long sleeve shirt outfits.

"How do I look?", he asked.

"Hmm, like a guy who is mentally and emotionally stable with a clear conscience over having to shoot somebody."

"Perfect, that's what I was going for. I think it's the color of the shirt."

Andy giggled as Sam came over for a kiss. When they broke she said, "I'll miss you."

Sam smiled, "Of course you will. Especially in your current state."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sam stopped at the door. "Andy, seriously, you can't move around all that well yet. It's not something to be ashamed of, you've been through a lot."

"Okay, two things. First, I'm not ashamed of anything. And Two, I can move around. I could move right up next to you right now if I wanted to."

"Oh, really?" They were both grinning.

"Yeah, really."

"Okay then, let's see it."

"What, now?"

"Yeah, you said you could so let's see you do it."

"Correction Detective, I said I could if I wanted to. Right now, I don't want to."

Sam held up both hands. "I stand corrected. Well, I've got to run, don't want to be late to the first shrink I'm actually sort of looking forward to seeing."

"Yeah, probably a good idea. I love you Sam."

"I love you too, Sweetheart."

With that Sam slid out the door leaving Andy. She tried to get comfortable again but was still making no progress, despite how tired she felt, her body was not letting rest come easily right now. Then a though occurred on her. As much as she hated to even acknowledge it to herself, her movement was significantly impaired right now. With that in mind, she considered that maybe she should have asked Sam to help her into the bedroom before he left. Maybe a bed would let her get more comfortable. And being closer to a bathroom couldn't hurt. Then she had to consider if she could make it there on her own. While weighing the pros and cons of that scenario, she shut her eyes and eventually sleep over came her.

* * *

"Mr. Swarek, Dr. Papanault will see you now."

"Great," Sam stood up and followed the receptionist back to the doctor's office. He thanked her when he opened the door for him and she nodded politely in return.

"Ah, Detective Swarek, it's good to meet you. Please, do come in." The doctor offered his hand and Sam shook it. Dr. Papanault was a 40-ish man with meticulously slicked back hair and groomed beard. When Sam was seated the doctor asked, "So, how have you been."

"Overall, very good. It's rough being away from the job but I've got to spend some time with my daughter, so that's been great."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Yeah, but the last couple days have been a bit rough."

"Oh?"

"My wife, Andy who's a Road Sergeant at 15, got in an accident."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Detective. Is she alright?"

"Oh, she'll be fine. Couple of broken bones but considering the accident, she got lucky. She's a tough cookie."

"She sounds like it. But still, you had to be worried."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, let's see. I was with my daughter Mia, from a previous relationship. We were meeting her for lunch. She was running late but I wasn't that surprised. If I told you about our wedding, you'd understand." They both chuckled and Sam continued. "I called her a few times and she wasn't answering. A couple missed calls I'd get but she usually returns my calls pretty quick. I was starting to worry. So, I called my best friend, Staff Sergeant Shaw, and he told me what had happened. I scooped up Mia and race to the hospital. The whole way there I had no idea about how bad she might have been. She was all I could think about."

"Understandably. But it sounds like it went a lot better than you had feared. That had to be a major relief."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Did this accident happen on the job?"

"Yeah. She was stopped at a light and got rear-ended. Pushed into the intersection and T-boned by a bus."

"My word, she must have a guardian angel to come out of that the way she did."

"Yeah. In our line of work, I think we all need to have somebody looking out for us up there." Sam thought about Jerry for a moment and then returned his attention back to the present.

"I suppose you're right, even with the whole police service looking out for each other."

"Oh yeah, our platoon is super tight. After what happened last year, we all got each other's back. NO doubt."

"Is that why you became a police officer? To have the community's back?"

"Something like that."

"Do you want to talk about it."

"Not really. It's a family thing. A bit personal. I will say that it made me realize that I had this desire to protect people. I maybe didn't always translate that to becoming a cop but that urge was always there. Still is. And thank god for my mentor. He picked me up and set me on the right path. The path I needed. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

"And who was that?"

"A detective from my first division. He ran into me when I was young, getting into some trouble. He told me to straighten up, enter the academy when I was old enough, and I might even make a halfway decent copper."

"Looking at your record and commendations, I'd say you surpassed that mark."

Sam grinned. "Yeah, I guess I have."

"And I'm assuming that you want nothing more than to return to doing what you are so clearly good at."

"Not to sound rude, doc, but that's why I'm here."

Dr. Papanault smiled. "Believe me, work with police officers enough and I have heard that a lot. Usually at the beginning of the sessions though. So, thank you for indulging me his long."

"Are we most of your clients?", Sam asked, meaning police officers.

"The Service has me on retainer. Others too. But yeah, I work with a lot of members of the Service. But not just Officers. Unsworn personnel as well like administrative staff."

"Really? Huh…"

"Yes, Detective, when bad things happen, it's not always just you front line guys that need some help."

"No, that makes sense. I've just never thought about it. You get a lot of us then. You must think we're a bunch of cray people after a while."

"Never, Detective. I mostly deal with your division, 15 as well as 27 and 34. So I get pieces of the whole figurative pie. But never would I judge people who see what you see and deal with what you have to deal with. We all face stresses. Some more than others. And we all cope and deal with things differently. My job is to assess how you guys are doing that.

"Right, because we can't have emergency personnel not be at their best."

"Precisely."

"May I ask how I'm doing?"

"Well, I want to touch on a couple more things before I make my official recommendation. But I will say, that you may want to iron a couple suits later."

Sam smiled. "Thanks for the advice doctor, but I'm more of a dress shirt and jeans kind of guy."


	35. Chapter 35

"One more thing before we break," Oliver announced to the officers as he wrapped up parade. "Detective Swarek is officially returned to active duty. And we're happy to have him back. Alright then. Serve, protect, and let's have a good day. Swarek, Epstein, stay back."

Sam and Dov made their way to the front of the room as the rest of the platoon filed out. "Hey Brother, glad you're back," Oliver said as the detectives approached him. "How are you? Good? How's Andy?

"I'm good, happy to be back. Andy's getting there. She's not too happy about having to take it easy and not being as mobile, but she's trying. Her Dad's going to be back soon so he'll be able to help out some. Until then, Sarah offered to come up just to be around."

"Really? Are you two trying to mend your relationship."

"Yeah, something like that."

"Well, that's good. Listen if you guys need anything, let me know. No hesitation."

Sam nodded, "Yup."

"Epstein, what's the latest on little Lacie?", Oliver asked changing subjects.

"I talked to Lauralee, the social worker, again today and she told me that placing her with family is a no-go. So, they're placing her in the system."

"Bummer. Though I suppose it's better than placing her with a family that doesn't want her."

"Yeah, from what Lauralee told me, the family is so broken, divided, distant, that they don't really see Lacie as part of the family. Or even her mother."

"It's sad what happens to some families. It really is," Oliver remarked and looked down for a moment. "Well, I won't keep you anymore. Get to work."

As the two detectives were walking away Oliver said, "And Epstein, go easy on Sam. First day back and all."

Clear of the parade room and walking to their desks, Sam asked, "Who's Lacie?"

"She's the young daughter of the woman that was killed when she hit Andy."

"Oh, I see. So that's what you've been working while I've been away."

"No, well, only the last day or so. And the day of the accident, of course." They had made it to their desks and they both sat down. Dov continued. "Anderson and I were working the drug dealing roommates."

"And how was that going."

"It's a shit show. We had no leads, so we roped in Nash and Ward. Eventually we even called Drug squad to see if they had these guys on the radar."

"And?"

"Well, here's where it starts to get shitty."

"Oh, the no leads part wasn't?"

"Not compared to this. Listen. Drug squad says they'll send someone over to 15 to discuss. So the four of us come back here and the detective that comes by is Blackstone."

"Okay."

"He tells us that they do, in fact, have an investigation into the roommates. What about? He wouldn't say. Further, he tells us that we can't look at any of the files they have on the guys. And, you'll appreciate this line, he told us to, and I quote, 'leave it in the capable hands of the Drug Squad.' Then he walked out."

"Shit show might be putting it lightly."

"Oh, there's more. Traci talks to Oliver to come up with ideas about what to do next. He calls the Drug Squad Sergeant Becker, someone he knows from the academy. Oliver says he's good police. Becker told Oliver that Blackstone left early that day and hasn't shown up since. Also, Drug squad has noting in their files on the roommates and definitely no open case."

"What are we doing?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Oliver said Becker is looking into it and he'd keep us informed."

"It wouldn't be the first time Blackstone has gone off the books, but this seems worse."

"Anderson thinks he's dirty. And that Drug squad would try to take care of this on their own for damage control."

"Makes since, I can see why she thinks that."

"Yeah, well, regardless. We can't _officially_ do anything."

"But _unofficially_?", Sam asked knowingly.

"You should talk to Anderson."

* * *

"Dov talked to Lauralee today."

"Oh, yeah?" Gail replied trying to sound sarcastic, but she couldn't hide that she actually cared. She and Chloe were out on patrol in between calls.

"Yep, apparently the family doesn't want Lacie so she's being placed in a foster home."

"Well, that's the way it goes."

"Gail, come on. We both know you care about this. You don't need to hide that."

Gail was about to reply when the radio went off.

" _In 15 we have a possible domestic disturbance. Available units identify."_

Gail snatched the radio and quickly replied that they'd respond and got the address back. When they arrived on scene, another squad was already there.

"1519, on scene," Chloe said to dispatch as they got out of the car. They could still hear shouting and some familiar voices. In side, Zettle was restraining a boy around 16 in the next room while Nick had apparently taken an older man, forties, to the ground and was trying to put cuffs on him. Gail jumped in and assisted in restraining one arm while Nick reached for his cuffs. With the man finally detained and the situation seemingly diffused, Gail asked, what happened.

"We roll up, and there is a ton of shouting, profanity, you get the picture. We knock and the father opens the door. Immediately we could tell he was loaded. After some back and forth he eventually let us in. We tried to ask what the argument was about and the son tried to tell us but almost immediately the dad moved to grab him or hit him, whatever, so I tried to pull him back. He turned around and swung at me, but missed. I wrestled him down and you guys got here."

Gail nodded and pointed at the son. "What about him?"

"Oh, I think he was afraid I'd hurt his dad when I took him down."

"He oughta be afraid of what I'll do to him," the father slurred out. Gail squatted down. "Sir how much have you had to drink today?"

"I got no clue. All day, on-and-off." It wasn't even noon yet.

"I'm sure," Gail replied and stood back up. Do you have ay idea what this is about. You said the son began to talk…"

Inck shook his head. "Nah,

He didn't get very far before it blew up."

"Price stay here with Collins, I'll go talk to the boy."

Crossing to the adjacent room, Gail stopped next to Marcy who had gotten the kid to sit down and relax some. "Zettle, got anything about what happened."

"Yeah, So the son here borrows Dad's car and side-swiped a guard rail last night. He comes home and Dad is gone so he goes to bed. He wakes up a little bit ago and goes to tell his dad about it. And boom, it all went to hell."

"That how it went?", Gail asked him.

"Yeah, that's it. And he was already drunk. And I know he gets angry when he's drunk sometimes so I should have just waited to tell him. But I was afraid he'd find out and think I was trying to cover it up or something."

"It's okay, you told the truth, that's the right thing. You're not responsible for his reaction," Gail tried to reassure him. "Did he hurt you or grab you or anything?"

The son shook his head, "No. But he would have tried if you guys didn't get here. Look, you got to understand. This isn't him. All of this is only because he's drunk."

"About that. Is your father often drunk this early in the day?"

"He didn't used to be. Hell, he rarely even drank. Maybe some wine with my mom for special occasions but that was about it."

"So, what's changed?"

"She died. A few months ago. Just before Thanksgiving."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Gail thought for a moment. "So, to be clear, one more time, he didn't touch you or hurt you in any way?"

"No ma'am."

"Okay. Officer Zettle? Sit tight here with him for a minute. I'll be back."

Gail went back to the other room and pulled Nick aside leaving Chloe to watch over the father. She explained the situation to Nick who having lost both parents could understand the effect a parent's death has on a family.

"Okay, so what if he didn't try to hit me. He just tried to shake my grip. If he didn't hurt the kid and he didn't assault me then we wouldn't have a charge here."

"My thoughts exactly. Why don't we try to find a place for the son to go for the day? That way the father can sober up and they get some space. And make it clear that if we have to come back the dad's going to jail."

"Works for me," Nick said. And that's what they did. The son went to an aunt's house nearby for the day and the father, having sobered up slightly, admitted some fault and promised that the officers wouldn't have to be back there.

Leaving the house, the four of them huddled on the front lawn and went over everything to make sure they were all on the same page about what had happened. In the end, they were all happy with the outcome. There was no sense in causing more problems for a family that had more than enough already. Especially when no real harm was done.

* * *

Sam knocked on the door frame of Frankie's office and she motioned for him to enter. Dov followed.

"Detectives? What can I do for you?"

"Epstein told me what happened with the case," Sam said

"Oh, really? And what exactly was that?"

"Everything," Dov said.

"My suspicions?", Frankie asked and Dov nodded. "Well, then. I'll assume you're down here to see what I'm doing about it."

In response Sam only grinned. Frankie scrutinized him for a moment and then looked to Dov who nodded. Finally she got up and closed her door then sat back down.

"Look, I'm sorry about the hesitation and vague wording. But I know you're tight with Staff and he can't know about this. Any of this. You got me Swarek?"

"Completely. Nothing said here leaves the three of us."

"I'm trusting you because we've worked together and I know you're both good. But I don't want to get caught and wear anything from this."

"I understand that. Trust me, I want to help. _We_ want to help."

"In that case I should probably let you know that your partner has been helping me already."

"Well that figures, he's a go-getter."

"Right," Frankie reached under her keyboard and withdrew a key. She opened a lock box and grabbed a second key and opened the bottom drawer of her desk which had one file on top. No writing on the outside to identify it or the owner of it. She opened it and placed in front of Sam.

He paged through the contents and was amazed at the colume. "You pulled this much together in a couple days?"

"What can I say, I'm conviced and I'm committed. And like I said, Epstein's been helping."

"Heh, it's good to see that Intelligence Unit stint with Marlo is paying off again. Sam closed the file and handed it back to Frankie who locked it back in the drawer. "What's next?"

* * *

That night, Gail was at the apartment she shared with Chris and Dov. Frankie had told her she'd be working late on something and wasn't sure when she'd get off. So, Gail went to her place and poured herself a drink. She went into her room and locked the door behind her. Sat on her bed and placed her phone in front of her and looked at it, doing nothing, for a long while. She wasn't sure how long. Eventually she pulled up the notes app and clicked on the phone number she had there under a nickname. She had searched around on the internet and located this work number, not knowing any other way to make contact. She was hoping to leave a message and to be called back when it was convenient. That didn't go to plan however when a familiar voice picked up on the other end and said "hello". Gail almost hung up out of surprise. Maybe fear, too? Damn time difference. Instead she took a composing breath and said, "Hi, Lunchbox".


	36. Chapter 36

"Gail? Oh, my gosh. How are you?"

Hearing Holly's voice almost made Gail tear up. Their relationship was the peak of her adult life. After Holly left, it went on a downward slide. Stabilized now but nowhere near as high as she was. "I'm good, yeah. What's going on with you?"

"Oh, nothing too exciting. New job is nice, challenging but rewarding.

"That's good to hear. Mine's the same."

They both giggled at that. "But you know, as cool as San Francisco is, It's not home. I miss it," Holly said.

"Well, Home misses you Miss Stewart."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, the new lab geek is completely boring. Sometimes I mistake him for one of the corpses."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah, he is. Nice guy, probably, but no personality. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"Uh, you called me."

"Oh, right. Am I interrupting? Because I was hoping to get you message machine and leave you one and you could call me back when it was convenient or not if you didn't want to but I forgot about the time change and then you answered, and now I'm rambling…"

Holly laughed a little. No, it's okay. I was just wrapping up for the day but I always have time for an old friend."

"Hey, last time I checked I was younger than you."

"Your right, I take it back."

"Good, just so we understand each other," Gail tried to sound serious but cracked and laughed at the end. After composing herself, in actual seriousness now, "Holly, you remember Sophie, the girl I was trying to adopt?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that didn't work out."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Gail. Truly."

"Yeah, it was a rough patch for me, paired with my brother getting arrested."

"What-"

"Another time, Holly. Anyway, there's another girl that I came across on the job ,her mom just died and her family doesn't want her."

"Not much f a family."

"No, but anyway she's getting placed in the system. He case worker is the same lady that handled Sophie so that would make it easier. What I'm getting at is, do you think I should try to go through that again? I mean, I don't really even know Lacie, the little girl all that well. But I don't want to go into the process and stat to know her and like her just to have it fall apart again. I don't know if I could handle it."

Holly didn't hesitate. "Yes."

"Yes? That's it? You didn't even think about it."

"I didn't need to. Gail, when you told me about Sophie that night in the locker room, that was the happiest I've ever seen you. That look in your eyes, the glow in your pale face. It was clear to me that being a mom was the most important thing in your life. That's why I never pressured you to come with me. I ever even asked you again because I knew Toronto was were you needed to be. Just because Sophie didn't work out, especially considering that your life sounds like it was a bit messed up at that time, doesn't mean you can't be a mom to a child. So, yes, Gail. I think you should go for it. Definitely. Even if Lacie isn't the one, some little kid out there is looking for a parent and you are going to be that for them."

"Thanks Holly, I really needed that."

"Anytime Gail. Listen, don't be a stranger. You still got the same number?"

"Yeah."

"Cool, I'll text you so you have my new one."

"Okay, yeah, that'd be great."

"Take care Gail, talk soon."

"You too, Lunchbox."

When she hung up, she collapsed back on her bed and let tears flow, Tears of happiness, of joy. Now she was reassured, she knew what she was going to do. And she wasn't going to give up or let anything get in her way.

* * *

"I got nothing, all dark here." Dov was camped down the block from Blackstone's house. He and Frankie had been casing it for the last couple nights. To this point there was no activity.

"Same here," Frankie replied over the walkie. She was parked behind the house with a sight on the alley way incase anything came out the back.

"I'm about ready to call this. Two nights of no activity at home. Three days of no-showing work. He's gone."

"I agree. But still, this wasn't a complete waste. At least we confirmed a suspicion."

"I didn't peg you to be the 'on the bright side' type."

"I'm not. But I'm taking a small victory when I can."

"So, we're pulling out?"

"Yeah, we'll rendezvous with Swarek tomorrow. Talk about next steps."

"You got it." Dov pulled away and headed towards home. He checked his phone when he got there, a little after 3 a.m. He was due back on shift in 6 hours. He hurried inside and quietly came through the door. The apartment was quiet, his roommates must either be asleep or out. He hung up his coat at the door and slipped out of his boots. At his door, he tried to gingerly open the door and step in without waking Chloe, who he knew to be on the other side, but the floor creaked just enough to cause him to look towards the bed. However, he didn't wake his fiancé. She was already up and waiting.

"Hey there," Dov said and shut the door behind him. "What are you still doing up?"

"Oh, I decided I'd wait up for my man. You know, to make sure he got home safely."

"Here I am," Dov smiled.

"Yeah, at," she looked to the clock on the bed stand, "3:12 in the morning."

"About that, I was out surveilling with Detective Anderson."

"Two nights in a row? And what about Swarek? He's still your partner, isn't he?"

"Yeah, yeah, this is just something we were working on while he was still off. We were just following up the last couple nights on something."

"Something you can talk about?"

"Uh…, I shouldn't."

Chloe gave him a sideways look. "C'mon Dov. You're out all night. Working a mysterious case and can't even be straight with me."

"Baby, I'm not lying. I really have been with Frankie. Swarek knows. He's even helping us out too. It's just that the case is very sensitive, and well…"

Chloe stared at him, clearly waiting for him to continue. Dov sat down on the bed next to her.

"I shouldn't be saying this," he began, "so you have to promise that this stays between us. Don't even tell Anderson or Swarek that I told you. Okay?"

"If it's that important, yes. Dov, I just don't want to be shut out."

"I don't want that either." Dov took a breath, and organized his thoughts. "The case is not only sensitive. It's off the record. We were told to leave it be. But we couldn't do that."

"Your invested."

"Yes, I am. All three of us are. We think we are dealing with a dirty cop."

"From 15?", Chloe wore a look that indicated her worry. Nobody was ready for that so soon after Steve.

"No, not from 15."

"Do I know him?"

"Yeah, you do. We all do. It's Jacob Blackstone, we think he could be dirty."

* * *

"When Nick and I were undercover we had our disagreements with Blackstone. He had his way of doing things. But we never thought he was dirty," Andy told Sam. He had been up late pouring through files that Anderson had copied for him and Andy talked him into opening up about it.

"Yeah, I was the same. We butted heads on that but he came through on the heroin laced with anthrax. But looking at the facts we have, it's undeniable he's up to something."

"But Sam, it doesn't mean he's dirty."

"Then where is he. He lies to us about the investigation, and then goes completely off the grid. Doesn't show up for work. Anderson and Epstein say he hasn't been home either."

"Wait, Dov's in on this?"

"Yeah, he is. He and Anderson were on this while I was still on leave. They brought me in."

"Who else?"

"From what I know, nobody. Nash and Ward were helping try to make connections but when Blackstone said to walk away and Oliver said to let him handle it, that's what they did."

"Sam, I know you follow your gut, and that works out for you a lot. But you can't be wrong on this."

"I know. That's why we are keeping this off the books and under wraps until we have something solid."

"And then what? You're going to go to your best friend and tell him you completely ignored what he said and investigated this?"

"Technically, he didn't tell _me_ to leave it."

"Sam…"

"I know Andy. I know it's risky, but we need to get to the bottom of this. Plus, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."

"As long as you're sure about this, then I'll support you. If anybody asks, I know nothing."

"That's my girl." Sam kissed his wife. "I love you. And thank you, for understanding."

"Thank you for trusting me."

* * *

"Let me get this straight Anderson. You'd rather spend your evenings in a car chatting with Epstein, staking out Blackstone, than with Gail Peck?" Gail was in her room at the apartment talking to Frankie on the phone.

"Gail it's not like that. And don't say that too loudly. This whole thing is very unofficial."

"Sure, sure, I get it. I've been on some secret task forces."

"Right, except you weren't going behind your bosses back. And involving others.

"Others?"

"Yeah, it's not just Epstein."

"Who else?"

"Right now, just one. Swarek. But look, don't even tell them you know. We promised we wouldn't tell anyone. Not even our significant others."

"Couple things. The new Sam isn't going to keep anything from Andy. He's tried that before and payed deeply. Secondly, Dov is so stupid in love with Chloe that he also couldn't keep anything from her. In fact, you probably held out the longest."

"Well in that case, I guess it's a good thing the stakeouts are over. God, only two days but if I had to spend another night in such a boring, quiet neighborhood, I'd go crazy."

"Wait I thought you said you were staking out Blackstone."

"We were. His house has been dark and quiet."

"But see that the thing. Okay, this is back when I was with Nick. At the end of that relationship. He and Andy had been undercover and I was convinced he had cheated on me with her. So, I got really drunk and had a one-night stand with Blackstone."

"What? Seriously? Thanks for that image."

Yeah, I'm not proud of it either. But my point is, we left the penny and went to his apartment. It wasn't far from there."

"When was this?"

"About a year-and-a-half ago. Maybe a bit longer."

"Gail, he's had this house for 6 years."

"So, why would he also have an apartment downtown."

"That's a great question. And why wasn't that mentioned in his file. Do you think you could find it again?"

"Yeah, I think so. I may have been drunk but I was still a cop."

"Feel like going for a ride?"

"Right now? I'm not even dressed. And I have to be back in at 9."

"So do I. C'mon, it'll be quick. I just want to cruise by to get eyes on it. See it for myself."

"Yeah, sure. What the hell."

"Great, I'll pick you up in ten."


	37. Chapter 37

"What are we doing here?", Chris asked as Gail pulled to a stop around the block from the apartment she led Frankie to the night before.

"1505, leaving the vehicle. There's a citizen flagging us down," Gail radioed to dispatch. Without answering Chris, she got out and expected him to follow suit. He did, of course.

"What's happening? There's nobody flagging us, Gail," Chris said as he caught up to her on the sidewalk.

"There isn't? I could have sworn that lady down there was." She pointed up the street.

Chris looked at a woman getting into a cab. "She's hailing a cab."

"Oh, well, in any case we might as well take a look around."

"Okay. For what."

"Wow, where's your sense of adventure?"

Chris stopped in front of her. "Gail, listen. I'll go through any door with you, not knowing what's on the other side. But if you know something, you need to tell me."

Gail sighed. "Okay, truth. Remember the drug dealing roommates and the guy Swarek shot?"

"Yeah, the guy that stabbed your rookie."

"That's the one. It turns out it all ties back to a guy that lives in this building."

"Wait, I thought Drug Squad took this. Why aren't we passing this along to them."

"It's complicated."

"Try me."

Gail looked around and thought for a moment. "Fine, but if you let it slip that I told you-"

"I won't," Chris interrupted whatever threat she was about to level. He had no doubts she meant whatever it would have been.

"Blackstone. It all ties back to him."

"Detective Blackstone. That's who lives here?"

"Unofficially."

"Well, at least I get why you are keeping this from the Drug Squad. So, what are we looking for?"

"Anything that may give cause to enter his apartment."

"Whoa, Whoa. Is this really something you want to step in. Entering a superior's place on some weak excuse for cause?"

"Chris! His name isn't on this place. He has a house on the other side of the city. Nobody can prove we know it's his."

"If he's dirty, I see why he'd have another place. But how do you know all of this?"

"That's a longer story. One I will _maybe_ tell you about later. Depending on how much tequila I have. Right now, either follow me or go wait at the car. Because two cops arguing on a busy downtown street is going to draw attention. And we need to avid that, right now."

"Gail, I'm with you."

"Then let's go have a look." They walked up the steps to the door of the apartment building. After a short wait, somebody eft and Chris caught the door. The resident looked back after not hearing the door close but saw the two officers and paid it no thought. Chris held the door for Gail and followed her in. Gail led them to a door on the back wall of the ground floor. They listened outside the door but heard no signs of life from inside. They could detect a smell, however. They've both experienced enough dead bodies before.

"Well, you've got your cause," Chris remarked and the both drew their guns. He pounded on the door and identified himself as police purely as a formality. When, as expected nobody answered he stepped back and prepare to kick in the door. Gail, gun raised was ready to spring through. Before he could kick, though, a door behind them opened. Instinctively, they both turned, guns up and aimed at the noise. The neighbor was a young man, 20's and he threw his hands up.

"Don't shoot. Please, don't shoot."

Gail and Chris both lowered their weapons but didn't holster them. "Relax sir," Chis said, "we won't shoot you. We were just checking on the resident of this apartment."

The man caught his breath and composed himself. "Yeah, I heard you out here. I was just going to tell you that I haven't seen him in a while. And I was going to comment on the smell."

"You smell that too, huh?" Gail asked.

"Yeah, we all have. Can't imagine what it is."

"Have you seen any suspicious people or vehicles around here the last few days or so?" Chris asked.

"Here's the thing. Most of the people that went in there were what I'd call suspicious. And they were always like different people. But…" He paused thinking of something. "You know, I don't think I even know his name. The guy that lives there. Anyway, he'd let them in and they never caused a problem so I didn't read much into it."

"Can you describe the man who lives here?", Gail asked. "It's just that we want to know who supposed to be on the other side. Make sure we're not in the wrong place."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. He was shorter, dark hair. Older than us too. Late 30s, 40s. Like that. Oh, and he like to wear those hats. I can't remember what they're called, but they are those old-timey gold hats. You know what I'm talking about?"

Gail and Chris shared a look. "We do," Gail responded. "Thank you, sir, you've been a great help. Can you just step back inside for now?"

"Yeah, sure thing."

"And, sorry about the scare." Chris said.

Raising their guns again they got back in position and Chris kicked in the door. Gail went in and immediately located the body in the middle of the living room floor. The two cleared the rest of the apartment, finding nobody and nothing of significance. Returning to the body they stayed a distance back, not wanting to contaminate anything further. The body was certainly Jacob Blackstone.

Gail grabbed her radio ad gave their location. "We have a dead body. P.O. Looks like he's been here a while."

"How do we report this?", Chris asked.

"What do you mean?"

Finding ourselves outside that door, by chance and their just happens to be a dead cop on the other side."

"What? Don't you remember? That citizen that flagged us down reported a strange smell and we investigated."

Chris gauged her for a minute, "Right, it just slipped me for a moment."

"Well, I'll leave that out of my report, just so we're on the same page," Gail said with a look conveying her hidden meaning.

"We are," Chris said without hesitation.

"Good, besides, I highly doubt the focus of this will be how we found him."

* * *

Frankie walked under the police tape and into the apartment. She gave Gail and Chris a one-eyebrow-raised look and Gail nodded. Frankie nodded back and examined the body. Forensics and other officers were also gathered in the living space. "Peck and Diaz? You two were first here?"

"Uh, yeah," Chris said. "We discovered the body."

"How did you know he was one of us?"

"We've had dealings before. I recognized him," Gail said.

"I see. Well join the others collect witness statements. Give your own if you haven't and I'll read the rest in your reports."

She went over to the lead tech on scene who acknowledged her. "Detective Anderson, I'm going to guess what you're going to ask me and just skip to the answers. C.O.D. is a close-range gunshot to the back of the head, looks like a .22. Maybe silenced, judging from the fact nobody heard anything and that this whole thing looks professional. I'd say he's been dead for at least 60 hours or so. I'll get the exacts after the tests at the lab."

Frankie thanked him then asked if they recovered anything on the body.

"Nothing, picked clean."

"Figures. Well, I better notify next of kin." She pulled out her phone and made a call to get the next of kin details. With that information, she arranged with the service chaplain to meet her at Blackstone's mother's house.

She lived in a WWII ear house in a decent part of town. Upper middle-class neighborhood. Old, but taken care of. Frankie got there first and had to wait a few minutes for the chaplain to pull up. When he did, he parked behind her. He had already been briefed and asked no questions other than if she was ready. Frankie nodded and led him up the porch and knocked on the door.

When Mrs. Blackstone came to the door, she immediately knew something was wrong as soon as she saw the chaplain. As he delivered the message she collapsed in to him and sobbed. Frankie couldn't help but feel bad. Even if she felt Blackstone was dirty and wanted to take him down, no parent should ever have to get this news. When the chaplain was finished Frankie identified herself. "Mrs. Blackstone. I'm very sorry for your loss. I'm Detective Anderson and I promise you I won't stop, the whole service, won't stop until we get to the bottom of this. I never really worked with your son but his record showed a great cop. Your son was a hero, ma'am."

The chaplain spoke up. "We'll give you some time to grieve in peace."

They both turned to walk down the porch expecting the door to close but instead a meek voice spoke up. "Wait." They both turned to find Mrs. Blackstone holding up one finger and then disappearing back in the house. They waited right outside the door and she returned a minute later clutching something in her hand. She held it out to Frankie who accepted it. "Jacob gave this to me a couple days ago. He said if anything happened to him to make sure this got delivered."

Frankie looked down to her hand. It was a flash-drive. ' _For Swarek_ ' was scrawled across the back.

"He said Swarek was another cop. A good one. The first person he'd want to handle what's on that."

Frankie cupped Mrs. Blackstone's hands in hers. "Ma'am, you have my word. I'll personally deliver this to Detective Swarek right now and make sure he does just that."


	38. Chapter 38

Oliver sat in his office. The inevitable conversation he was waiting for had just walked through his door. Sergeant Jason Becker from Drug Squad.

"Sergeant Becker, please sit down. I'm sure you have some important things to discuss."

He sat and said, "Thank You. Forgive me for being blunt sir, but we have certain concerns with how the Blackstone matter may be handled."

"Let me guess. You know that Detective Anderson had some vendetta against Blackstone and your worried that it may affect her ability to solve his murder?"

"Oliver, it's not just that. Look, we all know what happened to Boyd and his group. And now Blackstone could do the same thing. My concern isn't for them, personally. I worry for the reputation of the officers in these squads that do their jobs the way they should. You can appreciate that, right? After Peck? When high ranking members of elite task forces get their dark sides revealed, the whole unit, hell the whole service, gets dragged through the mud by the media. And in the war for public perception, we're all tarnished."

"Jason, I understand that. But what do you want me to do? He was killed in 15 and she's our top homicide detective. How would it look if I put somebody else on a cop murder? I'll tell you. It would look like we're trying to keep things covered up or just didn't care that much about it. Do you prefer either of those?"

"No, of course not. Obviously. I guess all I'm trying to say is that if Blackstone was dirty, which I'm not saying he was, but if he was, maybe let it rest since he's no longer around."

Oliver pondered for a minute. Becker wasn't wrong. The Service has been through a lot with dirty cops in the last few years. Some like Boyd didn't become the big spectacle that Santana and Peck did. But still, it had its effects. "Jason, here's what I can say. And I'll have to talk to Detective Anderson, but I have no intention of dragging a police officer's name through the mud on nothing but suspicion. If we get some concrete evidence, it would depend on its nature and who else gets implicated. I might not be able to keep it quiet. But, I'll try."

"Shaw… Blackstone is a hero right now, we need that right now. Don't throw that away just so some detective with a moral complex can prove a point."

"Sergeant, I've told you what I can do. If you or your Staff Sergeant have a problem with it, you know where to find me. I'll try to help out. But I'm not going to cover up something that demands prosecution just to protect your squad's reputation. If we did that, when would it stop?"

* * *

Frankie was driving fast back to 15. Probably too fast for most. She had tried to call Swarek at his desk a couple times but he hadn't answered. Cell phone didn't pick up either. She was burning to find out what was on the drive. But if Blackstone said it was for Swarek specifically she wasn't going to act on it until she talked to him, at least. She veered into the parking lot and hurried inside and to Swarek's desk … to find it empty.

"Help you?" Dov was just climbing the steps behind her.

"Yeah, where's your partner?"

"He took the afternoon off. Taking Andy to an appointment and then they were having lunch with his sister."

"Great, terrific."

"What's up?"

Frankie sat down in Sam's seat and slid the flash drive across the desk to Dov. He immediately noticed the note on it. "Who's this from?"

"Blackstone. Well, actually, his mother. She gave it to us when we gave her the notification." She didn't waste time bringing him up to speed on Blackstone. Every cop in the service knew at this point. That's what happens when a cop died. "She said he gave it to her a few days ago, about the time he disappeared it turns out. Anyway, she says he told her to get this to Swarek if anything happened to him."

"Hmm. I'm intrigued." Dov rotated the flash drive in his fingers.

"Yeah, well imagine how I feel. I wasn't going to open it because I figured Swarek would be here, I guess not."

"No, but we should probably call him and tell him."

"Gee, why didn't I think of that. He didn't answer this phone or his cell phone."

"Let me try something." Dov pulled out his phone and called Andy. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey Dov, what's up?"

"Hey Andy, how are you?" Doc noticed Frankie grew impatient at the small talk and he held up a finger to her. It didn't seem to help.

"Oh, I'm getting there. The doctors seem optimistic about the recovery, apparently the fractures are starting to heal faster than they thought they would. I was going to beat their estimates anyway so I guess this only helps me."

"Of course, you are. Listen I know Sam took the afternoon and you were going to have lunch with Sarah but something has come up here."

"With Blackstone? Catch who killed him already?"

Dov chuckled, "Uh, no. Not yet. But yes it's about him. Or rather from him for Sam."

"Like a present?"

"Yeah, something like that, maybe. I was hoping I could get it to him."

"Well, we're just picking up some lunch for the three of us and bringing it back to the apartment. We could always get enough for one more."

"Thanks, that'll work. Half-Hour?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"Perfect. Oh, and you better get enough for two more."

* * *

Sam pulled up in front of the apartment and helped Andy inside where Sarah met them. Once she was situated, he went back for the food and asked Sarah to help him.

"That's a lot, Sam. We having a feast?", Sarah asked when he opened the truck's back door.

"Come on, I thought you said you were hungry," Sam teased.

Sarah simply raised an eyebrow.

"As it turns out, we added two last minute additions to the lunch." He looked at his watch. "And they should be here any minute."

"Let me guess, something came up at work."

"That's what it sounds like. But they wouldn't say exactly what. Only that they needed to see me."

"And who is 'they'?"

"Oh, my partner and a homicide detective."

"Must be important then."

"Square, I'm sorry but they dropped this on us on the way back. A cop was found dead today and this has to do with it. I have to at least check it out. It could be very time sensitive."

"You must be important then. If they couldn't do it without you."

"Well, I am me," Sam grinned. "Come on, let's get this inside and set up. Plus, we've left Andy alone for a couple minutes. She may be trying to walk so she can prove she can get back to work."

Sarah laughed at the thought but Sam was only half joking. About five minutes later Frankie and Dov showed up outside. Sam met them ad took them inside. "Let me introduce you to my sister. Sarah, this is Detective Anderson from Homicide and Detective Epstein, my partner." Frankie simply smiled a little and said 'hi'.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Dov said. Smelling the food he went to the kitchen where he found Andy on crutches and gave her a gentle hug.

"Should we get down to business? Food is in the kitchen, so help yourselves."

"After we find out what's on here." Frankie tossed him the flash drive. Sam was almost caught off-guard but recovered.

"This is it?"

"Yep straight from Blackstone's mother. She says he gave it to her a few days ago."

"About the time he…"

"Yeah."

"Well let's take a look, follow me."

Sam turned to lead Frankie to the office that was currently serving as Sarah's guest room. Frankie called for Epstein to follow and he caught up to them.

Sam sat down at plugged the drive into his laptop and waited for it to come up. In the meantime, the two other detectives crowded around either side of him. Andy even made her way into the room on her crutches. Nobody was surprised that she wanted to know what was going on. Nobody blamed her either, this could be big. At the very least it was very interesting.

The drive finally popped up after what was only a few moments but seemed much longer. "Here we go," Sam said more to himself than to anyone in particular. The drive contained two initial items. A word document titled 'READ ME FIRST' and a folder titled 'OPEN ME AFTER'. "Simple enough instructions," he said. But he still had an urge to open the folder just to see what was there. Instead he clicked on the word doc and waited again fir it to pop. When it did they all got closed to read it.

 _Detective Swarek,_

 _I'm not going to lie to you and say I never did anything wrong. Fact is if you're reading this that it's probably pretty clear to you that I have. But I'm not a bad person. I just did a couple "bad" things and soon I'm in so deep that I can't get out. Except by death. And I suspect that if you're reading this, I'm most likely dead. Free at last. And if not, I'll end up in prison and be dead soon enough anyway. The folder on this drive contains several items ranging from photos to recordings to spread sheets. All of them provide damning evidence against my bosses. I'm sure you know which ones I'm referring to here. The ones that had or will have me killed. Specifically, there's enough on this drive to take down the big boss. Someone you're familiar with, I know. Anton Hill._

 _I understand you were close to getting him years back. The something happened and your cover was blown and you had to give up your evidence. It's a shame. If that had worked out we probably wouldn't be in this predicament now. But oh, well. Shit happens. I know how much you wanted him though. And if you're even half the cop I think you are then I know for a fact you still do. That's why I wanted this information to go to you. Any cop could have handled it, probably. But I wanted this to go the guy who deserved it. Call it a final act of good, or whatever you want. Just get the guy this time, will ya? Make some positive outcome out of all my years dealing with him._

 _In the end, there were still lines I wouldn't cross. Murder being one of them. I also believed we had an understanding about not harming other officers. When he had the roommates killed (that case can be closed with what's in the folder) and the killer that you killed, coincidently, almost killed that rookie from 15, I had to do something. Knowing that the whole thing was falling apart anyway, I burned myself and put together all this information for you. They know I have it and are going to come for me. That's a certainty. It's a funny felling knowing that your death is imminent and you're content just waiting for it. I don't know what that says about me? What I do know however is that you will take care of this. That gives me more than enough solace._

 _As a final note, I want to make it unequivocally clear, that I am not, so far as I know, a part of any specific network of dirty cops in the Drug Squad or anywhere else in the Service for that matter. I acted alone in all of my dealings with Hill and his people and was never told of any other cops doing the same. All of my colleagues are great people and I apologize for what this might do to them. I have a lot of that to do, I suppose._

 _Live well Detective Swarek. Love your wife, start a family. Do things the right way. Don't betray your values and don't get stuck the way I did._

 _-Detective Jacob Blackstone_


	39. Chapter 39

"You're finally going to get your white whale."

"Andy, I told you that book was just to help me sleep."

Dov and Frankie gave the couple a pair of quizzical looks and Sam said, "It's in inside story from when I was undercover to get Anton Hill, you had to be there."

"Apparently," Frankie said. "Let's open the folder and see what's in there."

Sam exited out of the word document and clicked on the other item on the drive. It opened up to contain a mass of photos of targets together, recordings of meetings, and a lot of spread sheets detailing a number of elicit dealings.

"Blackstone must have been compiling all of this for years," Dov said.

"He probably figured his usefulness would run out at some point and wanted to have some protection," Andy said.

"This is a lot more than just simple protection. There's enough here to take down not only Hill's operation but maybe several others across the Province. Hell, maybe even the Country. Here's some stuff on a group out of Montreal."

"The Landrys?", Dov asked.

Sam shook his head, "No, they pretty much collapsed after we took the boss down. This is some guy named Chiarelli."

"We have to get this to Staff," Frankie said.

"Yeah right away. This has to all be done right," Sam said. "Something this big, we can't take chances." He ejected the drive and looked at it for a moment. "Second time I've held a flash drive with enough to take down Hill. Not going to let this one slip away."

"No, we're not," Dov said assuredly.

Sam handed Frankie back the drive and they all got up and left the room. Walking back towards the door, Frankie said, "Sorry to cut out after you got us food, but this can't wait."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Believe me, I won't hold it against you," Sam said.

"Actually," came Sarah's voice from the kitchen, "I took the liberty of preparing some of the food into containers for you, I figured whatever it was must be important and that you may have to leave.

"Hey, thanks, that was thoughtful of you," Frankie said.

"Oh, don't mention it. You gotta eat eventually, right? And there was plenty of it here."

"Yes, well, we better get going," Frankie said and Dov grabbed the 2 containers of food for the road. They said their goodbyes and left. Sam was lost in thought and it didn't escape His wife or sister.

"Go on," Andy said.

Sam snapped back to attention, "What?"

Andy smiled, "Go on, Sam. I'll be fine. You want to be there and I don't blame you. I would too."

"No, it's okay."

"Sam…"

"Plus, we still need to eat. We got all that food and-"

"I also packed you a lunch, Sam."

He turned to see his sister smiling, holding up another container of food. In his heart, he did want to be there. Hill was his "white whale", Andy wasn't wrong about that.

"We'll be here when you get back," Andy said. "Go. If you hurry, you may catch up with them and not miss anything."

Sam nodded, cupped Andy's face and kissed her deeply, passionately. "I love you, sweetheart. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I love you too, Sam."

They both smiled and Sam crossed the kitchen, pecked Sarah on the cheek and accepted the lunch. "Thanks Sis. You outdid yourself."

"Please, it's not a big deal. You go be the hot shot detective and Andy and I'll have some girl time."

"I'm sure." With a final goodbye, Sam was out the door and racing to catch up to his fellow detectives.

As he burst through the front door, Anderson was just pulling away from the curb up the street. Sa was hesitant to take his truck. He didn't want to leave Andy ad Sarah without a vehicle. Luckily he didn't have to weigh that long because the car came to a sudden stop and reversed back to him.

"You're never gonna hail a cab just standing there looking dumbfounded," Dov joked. "Need a lift?"

Sam popped the back door and clambered in. "Well, if you're offering…"

"You owe me twenty bucks", Dov said to Frankie.

"Betting on if I'd want to go with you?"

Dov laughed. "No. We both knew you'd want to. We were betting on if you'd realize it before or after we left. Good timing by the way. Another couple of seconds and I'd have lost."

"Well, then. In that case, your welcome."

"I'm not convinced you didn't cheat," Frankie said as she handed over the most wrinkled twenty-dollar bill she had.

"What can I say?", Dov said as he pocketed the bill. "I know my partner.

* * *

The three detectives were seated around in Oliver's office. They were picking way at their lunches with plastic forks. Oliver, for his part, had a pickle-less sandwich next to his keyboard. He was holding the flash drive, analyzing it. "This little thing has all of that on it? Wow."

"Actually, sir," Dov said. "it's quite large. In terms of memory capacity, at least."

"That's beyond me," Oliver said. Nevertheless, can we look at it?"

"Yeah," Dov stood up. "You just plug that nd in and-"

"Epstein, I know how to use my computer, at least enough for this."

"Right, just trying to help." Dov sat back down.

"I'm sure," Oliver said with a smile. I was mainly concerned with the integrity of the information if we open it."

"Oh, it's completely safe. The files are all protected, those of which that can be edited. Meaning we can't make changes to them. They automatically revert back to the original if we did. We can't alter, delete, or copy any of this."

"Okay, so I'll click on it." Oliver spent a few minutes listening to and looking over the files. "You guys weren't kidding. This is huge. We'll need to get this to the OPP and the RCMP at least. Did anybody else see this?"

"Just Andy," Sam said.

"She probably trustworthy," Oliver said sarcastically. So, walk me through it again. Anderson, you got this from Blackstone's mother?"

"Yes, I was there with the chaplain to give the notification. She gave this to me as we were leaving. She told me that her son had given it to her a few days prior and to get it to Swarek if anything happened to him."

"So that's what you did."

"Yeah, I called his desk and he didn't answer so I called Detective Epstein who told me he was off this afternoon."

"Okay."

"Then I tried calling Andy," Dov said. "I knew that Sam was taking her t the doctor's so I figured they'd be together. She and I arranged for us to meet at their place."

"I took them to our office," Sam said. We opened the drive there and after reading the letter and seeing what all was in there we decided we needed to get it to you as soon as possible."

"So that's what we did."

"Good, just make sure your reports all stay so clear and coinciding. No mix-ups here.

"Of course, sir" Dov said for the group.

"Alrighty. I'll get this to the proper people, get working on warrants and such. I'll let you guys know when we're ready to roll. Okay? It shouldn't be long. Hopefully we can get moving on it tomorrow sometime."

"Sounds good," Sam said.

Oliver nodded. "Dismissed. And don't bring good smelling food in here again unless you have some for me," Oliver joked, but was also semi-serious. "It makes me feel bad about my lowly sandwich."

* * *

The next day, Oliver delivered as promised. Sam showed up to the station early and found Oliver was already waiting at his desk, a folder in his hands.

"That them?"

"No, they're take out menus, I thought you could use some suggestions for some new food spots."

Sam smiled and took the folder. Inside were the warrants, placed on top was the one he wanted. Anton Hill.

"Oliver, I want Hill."

"I knew you would Brother. That's why he's on top, you get him. The rest are going to Nash and she'll divide them up with her squad."

"Thanks, when do we move?"

"Right after parade. Take Epstein with you. Also, Collins, Price, and Zettle. I'm giving Anderson, Peck, and Diaz to Nash and Ward. You'll also have ETF support."

"Bailey?"

"No, you have Sanchez's team. Bailey's with Nash."

"Works for me."

* * *

Sam and his team rendezvoused around the corner from Anton Hill's Bar. Last time he went in, Sam reflected, he had a gun held to him. Probably would have died if Andy didn't show up. This time was different. This time was no bluff, this time Sam had him.

"Okay team, listen up. Collins, Price and I are going in the front. Zettle and Epstein go in the back. We all will follow in Sergeant Sanchez and his team. Radios on Tac 3. Andy questions?"

Nobody had any and Sam wrapped up the planning session. They piled into their vehicles and approached the bar from different sides as well as behind. They tactically approached the doors and Sanchez, who was leading the front entry team, radioed," Alpha ready."

His number two, who was leading the rear entry team, radioed back, "Bravo in position."

"Three-count on my mark," Sanchez said. "Mark." He held up three fingers and counted them down. At zero he pounded on the door and yelled 'police' before stepping aside for one of his guys with a ram. Two swings and the door was down. The unit flowed in and the sounds of commotion inside were very audible. As were the yells of 'police, don't move', and 'hands up'.

Sam expected Hill to be in his office and led Collins and Price through the winding halls and down the stairs following his crosshairs. He found the door open and signaled for Collins and Price to enter ahead of him. They flanked either side of the door and Sam followed them in. Sure enough, Anton Hill was seated behind his desk, hands raised to ear-height.

"Officers, I assure you, the guns are unnecessary. You'll find I'm unarmed."

"If it's all the same," Sam said. "Collins, cuff him."

"Sir stand up slowly and face away from me," Nick said. When Hill complied, Nick holstered his Glock and placed Hill in cuffs.

With that complete, Sam and Chloe holstered their guns and Sam snatched his handheld from his belt. "Hill is in custody, basement office."

Dov's voice came back, "Everyone accounted for up here."

"Copy, we're bringing Mr. Hill up," Sam replied and returned the radio.

Nick spun Anton around and Sam stepped up to him. Hill looked at Sam's name plate. "Officer Swarek. I recognize you."

"Actually, it's Detective Swarek now."

"Oh, the big leagues. Tell me, how is Ms. Starling?"

Sam grinned, slightly uneasily. "She's well, Anton. Thanks for asking. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

Anton shrugged. "Well, you know I always liked the girl. It's a shame what you dragged her into, that was a nasty bit."

"Well, the past is behind us, and has nothing to do with why you're in cuffs." Sam turned to walk away but stopped and looked back. "Speaking of that though. I believe we had a mutual friend. Jacob Blackstone? Does that ring a bell? Yeah, I can see it on your face. Yeah, you see, we have him thank for all of this."

"Lawyer."

"Right, you're done talking to us. Probably smart. Collins get him out of here."

On the street outside ETF was loading all of Hill's men into a transport van. Sam instructed Nick to put him in the back of a squad, isolated from his men. With that completed there were handshakes and back claps all around for a job well done.

The other warrant teams were also scheduled to hit their targets at the same time so they all should be pretty wrapped up. Sam called in to Oliver to report his teams' progress.

"Shaw," Oliver answered.

"We got hill and his guys, we're wrapped up here, beginning the search."

"Excellent, Other teams are reporting in similarly. All targets apprehended, so far.

"It's a great day, brother."

"Yes, it is, Sammy. Yes, it is."


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Hey Rookie Blue Fans! I just wanted to address a question raised in the comments pertaining to my portrayal of the command structure in 15. In real life, detectives would report to their own Detective Sergeant, not the Staff Sergeant of the division. However, in Rookie Blue, there are numerous instances of Staff Sgt.'s Boyko, Best, and Shaw commanding detectives (Best overruling Blackstone, Shaw benching Peck). So, for the sake of maintaining continuity with the show, I kept this general chain of command rather then create new characters to fill a position that was only mentioned once the whole show, (the last minute of the last episode.) I hope this clears my decision up for the guest in the comments and for anyone else who may have been wondering. Anyway, back to the story!

* * *

 _A few months later.._

" _15 Sierra 3, attend 1519's position to assist with a traffic stop."_

Andy grabbed her receiver from the center console, "S3 responding." Andy looked up on her computer the location of their stop and went in that direction, lights no sirens, save for an occasional bloop or wail to get traffic moving a little better.

A week back on the job now and she felt like she hadn't missed a beat since coming back. And, of course, she beat the doctor's estimates on recovery and rehab to get back a little sooner. So here she was, cruising through downtown in her new truck, to replace the totaled one, lights flashing and siren wailing on her way to a call. What could be better?

Andy wasn't the only one to get new wheels. While she was gone, the city's effort to overhaul the Service's fleet finally reached 15. Most of the Crown Vics have been replaced by Ford's new Police Interceptors and the Tahoes phased out in favor of Ford's Police Interceptor Utility, which was what Andy was driving. She liked it, it was much sleeker than the bulky Tahoe. The new cars were the same way compared to the Crown Victorias.

A couple minutes later she came up on 1519. Today it was occupied by Diaz and Foxx, who had recovered from the stabbing and been back on the job for a couple months now. She pulled up behind them and left her flashers while muting the siren before exiting the truck. Diaz and Foxx were in a ready stance, crouched behind their respective doors, hands on their holsters.

Andy duckwalked up behind Diaz and asked what was going on.

"It just escalated," he said back to her without taking his eyes off the car. The plates are registered to a guy that's been reported missing. Initially and we got a bad vibe from the driver, didn't have a license, but gave us a work badge with a name on it.

"And?"

"That name matches up to a POI in an outstanding assault with a deadly weapon investigation, so we called four your assist."

"Is it him?"

"Her, actually. And yeah, the ID and the picture on file look pretty similar."

"Okay, did she resist the traffic stop."

"Not really she was a little hesitant on where to pull over but nothing major."

"So, the concern is that the deadly weapon may be in the car? What was it?"

"Allegedly some guy was stabbed multiple times. He's still in the hospital, I guess. Don't know if she's a witness or anything more. And there's apparently a weapon in the car."

"What do you mean?"

"After we called for you, while we were waiting, she called into 911 and threatened to kill herself if we tried to arrest her. She says she's holding a knife to her throat right now and has a gun that she'll use on us if we try to approach at all."

"Damn, what's her name?"

"Cynthia Perez."

"Okay, give me a minute." She went back to her truck and pulled up her computer and ran the name to get any other useful information she could gather quickly then radioed to dispatch. "Dispatch, 15S3, I'm at the felony traffic stop with 1519, advise further responding units to keep a distance in light of the developments. Also, request ETF and a negotiator."

" _Copy 15S3."_

Andy got back out and moved back to her spot behind and to the left of Diaz. "Could you see any weapons when you approached?"

"No, I didn't. Jake, you see any weapons when we made initial contact?"

"Negative, I don't think so."

"So, we can't even confirm the presence of a weapon. But we also can't confirm there isn't one. For now, we operate under the assumption there is." She grabbed her shoulder radio and contacted dispatch again. "15S3, can we get a perimeter set up, at least a block in each direction with us at the center of the square."

" _I'll assign further units, Sergeant."_

"What are we doing?", Chris asked.

"We're waiting, waiting for ETF. We let them handle this. Until then we just make sure this doesn't escalate anymore."

Within 15 minutes the perimeter was in place and ETF was on location. Andy eagerly relinquished scene command over to Bailey.

"What's the plan?", Andy asked him.

"Well, right now, we're trying to establish a means of communication for the negotiator. While that's getting worked on, we have a scout getting up in that tower," he pointed to a skyscraper at their 11 o'clock. "He's got a scope so hopefully he'll be able to confirm or deny a weapon."

Andy nodded and waited for something to happen. She was standing beside the command truck with Bailey. Inside was the negotiator and a couple techs. After a couple minutes Bailey's radio went off.

"Alpha 1, go"

"Alpha Romeo, I'm in position, view positive."

"Roger." Bailey said to Andy, "That's our scout." He's got eyes on.

"Can he confirm weapons?"

"Confirm threat, Alpha Romeo."

"Threat positive. Subject holding knife up, near neck. No visual on gun."

"Hold position Alpha Romeo." Back to Andy Bailey said, "So we can't make an approach. Did you get anything on the subject?"

"Yeah," Andy pulled out her notebook. "Name is Cynthia Perez, 26, form the city. Only family on file is a mother. She's a POI in a ADW case. Clean record otherwise. Car came back stolen, that's why my officers pulled her over and why I got called in." Bailey knew the rest about the 911 call and suicide threat.

"Okay, I'll get that to the negotiator, hopefully they can get a line of communication open soon." Went inside the truck and updated the negotiator with that information. They got an update on his progress, or lack thereof, as well."

"So far," the negotiator whose name plate said Sands was saying, "She hasn't answered her mobile line." We can't approach with a phone and I doubt she'd be willing to come out and get one."

Bailey said, "So you're telling me we're nowhere."

"Hey," Sands held up both palms. "You know as well as I do that communication and negotiation is a two-way street. I mean, I could pull out the bullhorn and start yelling but that and peaceful resolution don't go together."

"Alright," Bailey conceded, "keep trying her mobile phone. Sergeant McNally, figure out how to reach her Mother, maybe she can help us."

Andy left the command truck and went back to her truck that she had backed up to the police line. Diaz and Foxx had done the same with their car. "Any progress, Sarge?", Jake asked optimistically.

Andy sighed, "No. They haven't been able to get Cynthia to answer her phone. I'm going to reach out to her mother, we're probably going to need her here."

"We can go get her," Jake offered.

Andy was about to say something but Chris spoke first. "Can't. We made first contact so we need to stay on scene."

Foxx nodded in understanding.

"What he said. Thanks for the offer, though," Andy said. She climbed in her truck and pulled up Cynthia's file on her computer, linked to her mother and got the address and contact information. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number. It rang a couple times before an unsure voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Perez? I'm Sergeant McNally, Metro Police." Andy explained the situation and tried to reassure her before asking if she could send a couple officers by to pick her up and bring her down here. Then she called Chloe.

"Price," Chloe answered

"It's Andy. Listen, who're you riding with today?"

"Marcy. Why?"

"Perfect. You guys know what we're dealing with, right?"

"Yeah, somebody holding herself hostage, or something."

"Pretty much. We're calling her phone but she's not answering yet. Could you guys swing by her mom's and bring her down here."

"Yeah, no problem."

"Great, I'll text you the address. Her name is Martha Perez. And I don't know why, but she seemed kind of hostile."

"Understood."

* * *

Chloe and Marcy pulled up in front of a pleasant looking house in a quiet neighborhood. Walking up to the porch, the front door opened and a woman hurriedly stepped out.

"Ms. Perez?", Chloe asked.

"Yes, you're going to take me to my daughter?"

"We're going to take you to the scene, yes. I'm officer Price, this is Officer Zettle. Follow us, please." They helped Ms. Perez into the car and then took off.

Marcy drove while Chloe talked with Ms. Perez. "Ms. Perez when we get to the scene we are going to take you to our sergeant, Sergeant McNally."

"Yes, I spoke with her on the phone."

"Right, we'll take you to her and she can fill you in with more information and if they need you to do anything."

"I understand."

Chloe knew Ms. Perez wasn't in a talkative mood but she still tried, "Ma'am have you ever suspected that she may be suicidal?"

She shook her head, "Never, no. But, since her brother last year, she's been a little more distant."

"What happened to her brother?"

"You killed him," Ms. Perez said sternly.

Now Chloe understood why Ms. Perez was so resistant to talk and why Andy thought she was a little hostile. "Does she have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend?"

"She's had boyfriends but they come and go. I don't know about right now. She doesn't talk about that too often."

"Okay, well, if anything else useful comes up, you can tell it to Sergeant McNally." The rest of the car was silent, and all involved were happy when it was over.

* * *

When they got to the scene Chloe and Marcy led Martha to Andy and then they left. Martha went over what she and Chloe had already talked about on the way there. "I'm sorry to hear about your son. And you probably think I'm just saying that, but it's true," Andy said. "Right now, Ms. Perez, we're all here to make sure nothing happens to Cynthia or anybody else."

Ms. Perez stared off towards the car her daughter was held up in and nodded.

"I understand, ma'am. Trust me, we all want Cynthia out of there safely. And we think you may be able to help us."

"I will try, but not for you. For my daughter, the only child I have left."

Fair enough, Andy thought. "I'm going to take you over to Seargent Bailey, he's in charge of ETF on scene, and the negotiator that's been trying to contact Cynthia. Any help you can provide will be most useful there."


	41. Chapter 41

"Ms. Perez, this is Sergeant Bailey from ETF and Officer Sands, he's the negotiator trying to get in contact with your daughter."

"Well, actually, they're the ones trying to contact her," Sands indicated the pair of techs working the computers in the back of the command truck where they all were gathered. "I'm just here to talk if that ever happens."

Bailey spoke up, "That's where we're hoping you can help us, Ma'am. We think that if you tried to call your daughter, she'd be more likely to answer."

Ms. Perez nodded, understanding what the situation was. "How do we do that? Do I just pull out my phone and call her?"

"Not exactly. See, we would plug you phone into our systems, and wire the call through there. It'd just be like talking on speakerphone, or over the speakers in your car. But this way we can record it and use it again if we have to later."

"Right, and on her end," the older of the two techs said, "it would appear just as if the call is coming from your phone, your number, your contact info. And it shouldn't sound any different."

"Should I tell her you guys are listening?"

"That's up to you," Sands said. "You know your daughter best. If you think that will help then by all means. Otherwise, you don't have to volunteer anything unless you want to. Bottom line, everybody here, your daughter included, should want this to end the same way, everybody leaves here safe. We just have to help her understand that."

"So, is that what I should say?"

"If you think that will work," he said. "If you'd rather have us do the talking then just try to convince her to listen to us. Either way, it's better then what we've had going for us."

Ms. Perez looked around at the officers gathered in the back of the truck, Andy couldn't imagine the amount of pressure and stress she must have been feeling. After a couple moments, Ms. Perez reached into her purse and withdrew her phone. The younger tech relieved her of it and plugged it into his terminal.

After a minute, he signaled that the phone was integrated with their systems and they were clear to proceed.

"Okay, ma'am," Bailey said, "whenever you're ready."

Andy noticed the involuntary spasm in the mother's eye, the suddenly shaking hands, signs of her understandable nervousness. "Ms. Perez," Andy said, "remember we all want the same thing here. We want your daughter out of this as much as you do. What happened to her brother, your son, was tragic. But, right now, no matter what you or your daughter think of us, we are only here to help her out of the danger she has herself in."

Ms. Perez took what Andy said, whether it changed anything, Andy wouldn't know. Ms. Perez picked up her phone and placed the call. It rang an uncomfortable six times before a surprised, distracted voice answered on the other end.

"Mom? What, uh, what's going on? I'm a little busy so if it's not import-"

"Cynthia, listen to me. I'm here, I know what's going on."

Cynthia didn't answer initially. "So, what?", she said finally. "The cops brought you here because I wouldn't talk to them.

"Baby, why are you doing this. Why?"

"I … I can't."

"What do you mean you can't. You're threatening to kill yourself and anybody who tries to help you!? What is happening?"

"They don't want to help me!", Cynthia spat back. "You know what those pigs did to Darron, why would they want to help me."

"Cynthia, Darron has nothing to do with this. We all want this to end peacefully. We all want to go home safely tonight, right?"

"It's not that easy, mom. I'm sorry…"

"What do you mean? Just surrender, then you'll be okay. That's the only way. Would you really do that to me, Cynthia? Make me have to bury my only remaining child?", Andy noted the strain increasing in the mother's voice and shared a look with Bailey. They both knew this was it, right here. What happened next was either going to cement the outcome of this situation one way or the other.

After several moments, Cynthia spoke again. "I'm sorry mom, like I said it's not the easy. I can't just surrender. I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

Sands spoke up from the other side of the table. "Cynthia, my name is Harry, you may not believe me or anybody else but I want you out of there in one piece, now what do we need to do to make that happen? C'mon, Cynthia, what do you need from us?"

There was silence, as if Cynthia was pondering her answer. She said, "I love you mom, remember that. Goodbye," Cynthia ended the call. Ms. Perez screamed out a crying 'no' and lunged for the door, Andy reached and held her back while Bailey bolted through ordering Alpha team to move in. Then a single gunshot rang out and the mother strained against Andy again before collapsing into Andy's arms, sobbing into her shoulder and gently beating fists on Andy's chest. They both knew what happened.

All that happened in less than three seconds, probably, but to all involved it felt stretched out to eternity, racing towards the inevitable.

Outside Bailey approached the vehicle with the rest of Alpha team and one of his men reached in through the window. Checking for a pulse, he shook his head. Bailey removed his helmet and got on his radio, "Alpha-1, subject is 10-45, self-inflicted GSW." He took some steps away from the vehicle and yelled, "We need this perimeter pushed back again, way back." Took a couple more steps and said into his radio, "Romeo, return camp. I want to know what you saw."

" _Roger Alpha-1."_

Bailey took a couple of deep breaths and turned around to see his squad and some regular officers gathered around the car just in time for it to explode in a large fireball. He barely noticed though, because the explosive force knocked him back and he hit his head on the pavement. Then there was nothing.

* * *

Andy was still holding on to the grieving mother when she felt the truck rock followed by the sound of the explosion almost simultaneously. "What, the hell?" Then her radio came alive with shouts about an explosion and numerous officer's down. Calls to rush EMS to the scene.

"Sands, can you take Ms. Perez? Don't let her leave."

"Of course," he replied.

That taken care of, Andy stepped around the corner of the truck to view the damage outside. The car Cynthia was in was a flaming wreck. Debris was littered all over and numerous windows were broken on nearby buildings and vehicles. And there were some battered bodies to, no civilian, thank god. The perimeter was far enough out. Andy could hear the approaching sirens of more emergency vehicles and personnel. They were desperately needed.

Some of the officers caught in the blast were already getting up and moving away, some limping, some fine other than some dirt and ripped and tattered clothing. Others weren't so fortunate. Those closest were thrown back and covered in pretty severe burns from what Andy could see. Most of them appeared to be ETF. Where was Bailey? The fact he wasn't taking charge right now was concerning. She grabbed her radio and ran through her channels calling for Alpha-1 to respond. She wasn't getting anything until Romeo, Bailey's recon man in one of the towers called back. "He was in the blast. I saw it all. He several feet from the car, further than everyone else but the force still took him."

"Did you see where he went?"

"It was somewhere over behind that green car by the fire hydrant. I'm on my way down but the whole building I'm in is evacuating so it's slow going for me."

Andy looked up and noticed people flooding out of numerous nearby buildings, responding to the explosion. They were being funneled beyond the perimeter by some officers so they were out of the way of any danger. Andy located a possible green car by a fire hydrant and ran towards it. Behind it, sure enough, was Bailey. He had no helmet and appeared to have banged his head on the ground. Andy couldn't find any external bleeding, but he had a significant welt in his head and he was out. Breathing, thank God. "15-Sierra-3, I have Alpha-1. About 10-15 yards away from the subject car. North side of the street behind a green car. He's breathing but unconscious with a large swelling on his head."

" _Copy that Sierra-3, EMS is heading your way."_

"Roger." Then to Bailey, "C'mon, Bailey, hang in there, man. Help's coming.

* * *

"Sammy," Oliver had jogged over to Sam's desk, "that hostage situation downtown went south."

"Andy?", Sam stood up and Dov braced himself to follow suit.

"She's fine. Let me explain." So, Oliver did. "Right now, with Bailey on the way to the hospital, she's running the scene. I'm on my way down, figured you'd want to know."

"How many dead?"

"So far, I only know of the driver. But that'd be very lucky if that's all it is.

"Jesus… Do you need us there for anything?"

"Actually, Nash and Ward are already on the way."

"Oh, really?", Dov said. "What' Guns-and-Gangs' interest?"

"Well the driver, was a POI in an ADW case on a banger they were working."

"Interesting," Sam grabbed his coat, apparently having made up his mind he was heading to the scene anyway. Oliver noticed.

"Yes, so they'll be running the investigation. But I'm sure they'd take the help."

Sam was a half-step behind Oliver down the stairs while Dov was still grabbing his coat. "C'mon partner, pick it up," Sam called over his shoulder, not looking back.


	42. Chapter 42

On scene, the chaos hadn't abated much with time.

Sam navigated through the maze of vehicles and people to get to the center of the action, Dov following. They spotted Traci talking with somebody from ETF near the command truck. They leaned up against the truck's side and waited for her to finish. When she did, she turned around and acknowledged them, "Come to help out?"

"Yeah, we heard you were down here with Ward, running this," Sam said. "Oliver told us the driver here was a POI in a case for you."

"A banger, Wallace Starks, got beat up, we think it was with a gun."

"Like, hit him with the gun?", Dov asked.

"Yeah, that's what the bruise patterns indicate. Mr. Starks didn't remember anything when we talked to him, or o he claimed."

"What's the connection to your vic and the girl today?", Sam asked.

"Well," Traci led them over to the vehicle, now a burned-out husk, "this vehicle's registered to Mr. Starks. And, from what we've been able to gather, though Stark himself wouldn't comment on it, Cynthia Perez used to hang around with him."

"And the girl that was in there," Sam pointed at the car, "was Cynthia."

"Correct. Ward's in the back of the command truck talking with her mother. We're trying to nail down an address because the one on her license isn't correct any more. Andy's back there with them."

Almost o cue the door opened and the three of them came out. Andy led the mother to a squad car opened the door for her, and the car left.

Ward walked over to the three detectives, "So, she gave us the last place she knew her daughter stayed. It's different than the license so it's a possibility."

"She didn't know for certain?", Dov asked.

"They haven't been all that close since her brother."

Sam raised an eyebrow and Traci realized he didn't know. "We killed the brother. Well, not we as in us, but we as in the Service."

Sam nodded, "Oh, boy."

Andy walked up, "Poor woman. She has nobody left."

Nobody knew quite how to respond and let it hang in the air for a bit. Oliver came by and said, "We're wrapping up here. Nash? Ward? You two got what you need?"

"I think so," Traci said. "There wasn't much to actually get."

"We got an address to check out," Juliet opened her notebook. "It's a boarding house or something that rents rooms out like by the week."

"Let me see that," Oliver tilted the notebook towards him and glanced at the address. "Yeah, I know the place. Epstein, you should too. It's the dump we found Rainey in all those years ago. Remember Snake Face?"

"Yeah, he was my first collar."

"Those were the days, when the rookies were still the rookies," Oliver reflected.

"And you still had some hair," Dov joked.

"Watch it Epstein," Oliver warned with a smile. "Ah, well, good. So you guys going to check that out?"

"Yeah, we might as well," Traci said.

"Good, take a couple uniforms with you," Oliver instructed. "With that place, you can never be too careful. Sammy what about you two?"

"Well…," truth is, Sam didn't really know. As far as this went, he didn't really have a hand in it.

"Actually sir," Traci said, "I was hoping that if you didn't have them on anything else, I could have them look into the incident that got the brother killed. I just have a feeling about it, like it's a part of this."

"Okay, yeah, go ahead. If Nash has a gut feeling we should check it out. I'm going to be at the hospital getting an update on our guys. McNally, get back on the road once you have the paperwork on this wrapped up on this. Same goes for the rest of the uniforms, okay?"

"Yes sir," she said. To Sam, "I'll see you later."

"Take care McNally." They shared a look between the two of them and Andy left.

Uh, Staff," Juliet spoke up, "What's the last you heard on Bailey and the others?"

"No dead, so that's good. Some have some pretty bad burns though and are in rough shape. Bailey, on that front got the least because he had moved away from the car when it blew. But he has a concussion and they are trying to prevent some internal bleeding."

Traci sighed deeply and looked around. "Could have been a lot worse. A lot worse, if they didn't move the perimeter back."

"Speaking of that," Dov said, "Do we know how the bombwas set off?"

"Yeah, we think," Traci said. I was talking to a bomb squad guy from ETF before you guys and he said that the deice was on a trigger activated timer. They think Cynthia, the driver, activated the timer sometime before shooting herself. But pretty close to it, knowing that the police would flood the vehicle and check on her. Then they'd be caught in the blast."

"So, she was targeting us," Dov concluded. "You're right, her brother has something to do with this. If nothing more than the motivation, that's still significant."

"Figure this out you guys," Oliver said. "Send me updates, I'll do the same."

* * *

After a bit of strong-arming and threatening the boarding house owner with charges of obstructing and accessory after the fact, he handed over the key to Cynthia Perez's room. Nick opened the door and he and Gail cleared the small space before Traci and Juliet went in.

"Just look around, let us know if you see anything significant," Traci instructed.

So that's what they did. Nothing too out of the ordinary was turning up. The most interesting thing was a bottle of prescription Oxycontin, not in Cynthia's name. All in all, though, that wasn't even that surprising or irregular. There was no note anywhere, a suicide note is often not present. Only about a third of the time at best probably. There really was nothing incriminating there. No guns, no books on bomb making. They couldn't find any pictures of Cynthia and Wallace together. This was turning into a strikeout.

"One thing we know, Traci said when it was clear they weren't getting anywhere, "someone isn't going to shoot themselves and blow up cops for no reason. If it's about her brother, I get the anger towards us. But why kill yourself? That doesn't make any sense. They pondered and Gail said, "Maybe she felt guilty about it."

"What?" Traci was caught off guard. She wasn't thinking on that track. "She feels guilty about her brother," Traci repeated. "Go on."

"Well, I don't know. Maybe she was involved somehow, or she knew he was going to and doing whatever it was that got him killed. Something like that."

Traci though it over. "That makes sense. I like it. So now we need to find out what exactly happened."

"And, hopefully," Juliet added, "how Wallace Starks fits into this. His car ties him onto this, we just need to know how and then we got him too."

"He goes from being your victim to a potential suspect." Nick said. "That won't make him too happy if you pay him a visit next."

"Hopefully it's soon, that is if Swarek and Dov had any luck," Traci said.

* * *

"I think I'm on to something," Dov said.

"Let's hear it," Sam set down the file he was reading. So far, they'd gone back through the incident. It happened in 34 Division. Ricardo Perez was killed after he turned what appeared to be a gun on two patrol officers. Turns out the gun was a pellet gun but it was black and without the orange indicators of a toy. According to the report, the officers were in the area after taking a call about a person, with varying descriptions, casing cars. Perez, when the officers rolled up was bent over a car, looking through the window. The report goes on to say the officers ordered Perez away from the car which he complied with. However, the butt of the gun was sticking out of his waistband and one of the officers noticed it and ordered Perez's hands up after they had drawn on him. He hesitated and said something but neither officer was sure what. Then he reached for the gun, albeit slowly, and began to draw it. That's when the officers shot him. He died at the scene. The shooting had gone through full SIU review and both officers had been cleared of any wrong doing and fully re-instated. It was a tough situation but Sam and Dov, along with any other officer, would have reacted the same way.

"So, I kept getting hung up on why there were so many different descriptions for one guy. I went back to the 911 calls and broke down the descriptions. If I take out some outlying characteristics, they mainly break down into two different descriptions. And roughly half of them go for each one and one of them lines up pretty well with Perez."

"Okay."

"So, I got to thinking, maybe there was two people. That this second group of descriptions aren't just bad descriptors but descriptions of a second guy, a guy that got away without anybody knowing he was involved. ON a hunch I pulled up Wallace Starks, the guy from Traci's ADW case. Now, these second descriptions are: shorter male, with about shoulder-length dark hair. Caucasian, and a couple even think they saw a tattoo on the left side of his neck. Now I'll show you Wallace Starks." Dov turned his monitor around toward Sam.

Sam only needed to look for a second and he could see how well he fit the description. And the selling point was the neck tattoo, noticeable in the mug shots on file. "We got him. Great work Dov, Great work. Let's call Nash. This will make her day."

"What will make my day?"

Sam looked over his shoulder to see Traci and Juliet walking to Sam and Dov.

"Epstein, you cracked it, why don't you tell them."

"Dov you are a rock star," Traci told him when he finished going over it all again.

"This actually makes a lot of since with what Gail said back at Cynthia's place. She had this theory that Cynthia blew up the car to attack us for killing her brother fine. But she Shot herself because she felt guilty about her brother. And, you know what, she assaulted Wallace because he was with her brother that night and bailed. This is coming together."

"That's good, but it may be more," Sam said. "I'm looking at Stark's rap sheet and it's littered with B&E's GTA's and so on. Perez had one offense listed, a misdemeanor marijuana possession."

"So not only was Wallace involved, he was the instigator," Traci said.

"That's what I'm thinking," Sam said.

"So, to retaliate," Juliet said, "Cynthia gets the drop on Wallace and beats the hell out of him, then can't live with the guilt because she's the one that brought Wallace into the picture. Without her, Wallace and her brother probably would never have met."

"I buy it, but how do we convince a jury?" Dov asked.

"Right now," Sam said, "We don't even have enough to bring Wallace in. I'm not even sure there's anything to bring him in on, evidence or not."

"Sadly, I think you're right, Traci said. "He didn't actually commit a crime that night, or at least we have no proof of anything. After that he's a victim. He gets beat up and gets his car stolen."

"The jerk's gonna walk." Juliet shook her head. "Isn't the justice system great?"

"He's not going to help us with the ADW because to do so could possibly tie him into all of this and he know it. He's free right now and he's not going to risk that."

"So, what do we do now?", Juliet asked.

"We suspend the investigation. Reason is we have no conclusive leads," Traci said. "Then we move on to the next one. Thanks for the help boys, you cracked this one, you really did. If only we could have done something with it. I'll call Oliver and tell him the news. Why don't we all call it a day."

"I think that's a good idea," Sam said. He shut down his computer, put the files back in the box they came from, and closed it.


	43. Chapter 43

"Nash, check this out"

Traci rolled her chair over to Juliet's desk and took a look at what she was analyzing.

"Cynthia's Phone records just came in," Juliet said.

"That quick? It hasn't even been 24 hours…"

"I put a little pressure on them, considering the situation."

"Well done." Traci wasn't surprised, Juliet had proven herself many times since she came back from Vancouver. She'd make detective in no time, if she wanted to. "What did you want to show me?"

"Well, she and Wallace had some interesting text chains. But this one, 5 days before the assault on him, she asked him if he knew anybody that was good with explosives."

"Wow, just threw it right out there." Traci read on through the chain. Wallace indicated that he may know somebody and would be in touch. There was no further talk in the chain about it. In fact, there was very little else said between the two after that. "What about calls?"

"There were a couple after this, later that day and then one the next, both pretty short. Then nothing."

"Did she make any calls or contact anybody outside her contacts?"

"Like the explosives person? No. In fact, she didn't talk to anybody else really."

Traci considered the problem. She felt in her gut that this is where the explosives came from, somebody Wallace knew. But proving that was another thing. "Wallace never confirmed, at least in the information here, that he did know anybody with explosives. Only that he might."

"You think he'll remember exactly what he said," Ward asked.

"You talking a bluff?"

"What else do we have to lose? And it's not a complete bluff. We go in there with the phone records and tell him that if he doesn't give us the name of the bomb guy, girl, whatever, we'll stick him with accomplice charges."

"That's good, is he still in the hospital?"

"Let me check," she picked up her desk phone and called down to memorial. "Hi, this is Officer Ward, 15 division. I'm checking on the status of one of our victims, Wallace Starks?" Juliet waited and listened for a minute than thanked the other end and hung up. "He's out, released this morning."

"Great, now we have to find him again. I'll put a BOLO out." Traci went back to her desk. "Find us a couple of unis and we'll take a stroll by his place first, just in case."

* * *

An hour later, Traci and Juliet were outside of Wallace Starks' address. Nick and Chris were with them.

"Nice digs, Nick said when they met between their two cars."

"Yeah, right up there with Cynthia's," Juliet said.

"What do you need Detective?", Chris asked.

"Nick and Juliet around back. You're with me on the front door. We're looking for Wallace Starks. You've both seen his picture?" They nodded confirmation. "Good, he's fresh out of the hospital, still got some wounds from the assault, so he should be easy to identify. But that's why Juliet and I are splitting up, just in case. We just want to talk tom him. He's not a suspect, per se, so take it easy. We get him back to the barn and we talk to him there."

"And if he doesn't comply?", Nick asked.

"We make him see that it's in his best interest to," Juliet said. "Threaten to charge him in connection to the bombing. He's not stupid enough to take the fall if he didn't do anything."

"Probably," Traci added. "Let's go." The pairs broke off and went to their assigned spots. Both Traci and Juliet were in vests, you never knew what would happen in gang land. Better to be safe than sorry. By the time Traci and Chris reached the porch, the neighborhood had come out to see what was going down, many had cell phones out, recording no doubt. Others were conspicuously trying to hide their hands or their faces.

"Not getting a real friendly vibe here," Chris said as he stepped up in front of Traci and pounded on the door a couple times. They didn't hear anything from inside to indicate anybody was home. Chris got on his radio, "No luck up here, you two have anything."

"Negative on the house," Nick said back. "But it looks like there's a garage off the alley in back. We heard a faint sound of an engine."

Chris shared a quick look with Traci and they went around back to meet Nick and Juliet. They agreed on the sound. "Let's go around back," Traci instructed and they went back to their cars and around the block." The neighbors had begun to murmur and shift around to get a view on what was happening.

When they got to the back and out of their cars, they could confirm that there was an engine running and the door was closed. Nick wet around the side to look through a window but it was mostly obscured by dirt and various items in the garage. When he returned to the group, "I couldn't see much, but there is definitely a car running in there. I don't know if there's a person in there or not."

Traci shook her head. "Doesn't matter, it's cause, possible life in immediate danger. Let's get this door open. With luck, the door on the garage was unlocked, but rather heavy. Chris took one side, Nick the other while Traci and Juliet drew and aimed their weapons, just in case. After opening the door, the officers were almost overtaken by the fumes from the exhaust. Nick and Chris scrambled away to get some fresh air and they all waited a bit for the garage to air out. In the meantime, Traci got the fire department rolling, just in case.

"What now?", Nick asked.

"We need to make sure there is nobody still alive in there. You think you can get in there to check?"

"Nick sniffed the air near the garage, still had some fume but not nearly as much. He felt confident.

"We can do it," Chris said. "You check for a vic, I'll get the car off."

Nick nodded and they entered on the count of three. IN the end it turned out fine. Both of the officers could breathe well enough and didn't feel any effects. Chris was able to get the car off without incident. And Nick found a person, but he was long gone. Nick didn't know how long the car had been running but did know it only took minutes for someone to die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Chris had noticed the body as well and, when Nick popped back up, asked, "Anything?"

Nick shook his head, "Nope, he's gone." Nick and Chris walked out of the garage and back to Traci and Juliet. Feeling confident since Collins and Diaz made it in and back out safely, Traci decided to have a look at the body for herself. One look and she knew it was Wallace Starks. He was laid across the back-seat head to the side. She looked around a bit more, no new bruises or wounds, no signs of struggle. Looking down to his wrists she saw a hospital ID band. The name was 'Starks, Wallace H.' "It's him. It's Starks," Traci said when she came back out of the garage.

"Murder?", Juliet asked.

Traci considered, "I'm at 99.9% murder. The way he was positioned, no signs of a struggle. Everything about it screams foul play. Ward, call in some backup and CSU. Then call Anderson. Daiz, Collins, start asking neighbors if they saw anything, get some other uniforms to help. I'm going to call Memorial and see who picked him up when he was discharged. We need to start building a timeline."

"Well, he was only released a few hours ago," Juliet said. "Not too much time to fill in, shouldn't take that long."

"Knock on wood."

* * *

It actually didn't take that long. The hospital got back to them with a name of Phillip Brock. Traci ran him through the system and got back no significant returns. Just a few tickets for speeding and such. The system also indicated he was a grad student at Kempton University. Homicide was on scene and doing it's thing which would take a while so Traci decided to dig a little deeper on Brock, just to see what she could see. After all, this didn't seem like the guy that would hang around with a petty criminal with gang ties.

She ran his name through a search engine along with the school's name and got several hits back. Apparently, Brock was a good student, very good. He had participated in several expos and fairs representing the school. Most of them seemed science related. But the article that piqued Traci's interest most was the one where he identified himself as a chemical engineering student. A chemical engineer would certainly know how explosives work and about the killing properties of carbon monoxide. Traci felt deep in her gut that she was on to something. She looked at her watch, it wasn't too late yet, she could still pay Brock a visit.

First, though, she tracked down Frankie and updated her. "Wow, that's good stuff Nash."

"Yeah, I thought so too. I was going to swing by and see what he has to say."

"Do that. I got to stick around here a while longer until the techs are done with everything."

"I figured. Well, I'll take Ward and give you a report."

"Good deal, Nash."

Traci found Juliet talking on her phone a little way away. Juliet saw her coming and finished the conversation. "Nick says that nobody has anything solid. Either nobody knows anything or nobody wants to tell us anything."

"What a surprise," Traci remarked. "Listen…," Traci filled her in on what she found and what the plan was.

Brock lived off campus in a modest house in a decent enough neighborhood, It was probably a rental. Traci led her partner up to the door and rang the bell. Shortly, a well-dressed young man, Traci recognized him immediately from the photos in the articles, opened the door.

"Phillip Burke, This is Officer Ward, I'm Detective Nash. Metro Police, Guns and Gangs."

"Officers how can I help you?"

"May we come in."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Just please forgive some of the mess. Grad school has been a bit chaotic lately."

Traci took the opportunity to confirm what she already knew, just to hear him say it. "Oh, your're in grad school. At Kempton or…?"

"Yeah, at Kempton."

"What are you studying?" Juliet asked

"Chemical engineering," Brock replied quickly.

"Kudos man," Juliet said. "Chemistry we not my thing in school.

"Yeah, well, it's definitely not for everyone. You have to have a knack for it, trust me."

"I'm sure," Traci said. "You must make your parents proud."

"I try to. But I'm sure you have something more important to discuss with me. Please, have a seat on the sofa. I'll try my best to help."

So, they sat and Traci got started. "Did you pick up a Wallace Starks from Memorial today?"

"Yes, but I'm guessing you already knew that. That's what brought you here. Yeah, I picked him up. He insisted on driving after we left so I let him. We went to a McDonalds down the street because he said he was tired of the hospital crap. Then he went home and we went our separate ways. So, what did he do now? Jeez, a couple hours out of the hospital and he's already in trouble."

"Actually, Mr. Brock, Wallace Starks is dead."

From the way Brock reacted Traci either thought that was a genuine surprise to him or he was a very good actor.

"Dead? You're sure? I just saw him and…," Phillip trailed off.

"Yes, we're sure," Juliet said and you're the last person we know that saw him alive. We're trying to build a time line and you're the last person we know he saw, so we came to you.

"Am I a suspect? Do I need to get a lawyer?"

"I can't tell you that, Mr. Brock," Traci said. Do you want one?"

"I think I should talk to one, just in case. If you leave a card, I can get back to you after I talk to one. Just in case…"

"Okay, if that's how you want to do it, it's your choice." Traci handed him one of her cards and they walked back to the front door and out to their car.

In the car, Juliet asked, "McDonalds?"

"Yep, he said down the street, I assume he meant from the hospital. If so, I think I know what one he was talking about. Let's go see if we can get any camera footage."

* * *

It turned out Traci was correct and the manager on duty remembered the two from two photos Traci showed her. After explaining the situation, the owner consented to let Traci and Juliet view the security footage from the time, just to confirm a time stamp. After jumping around on the tape for a few minutes, they located Starks and Brock walking from the counter and selecting a table. Traci wrote down the time and the owner sped it up to double time. A couple live minutes later, so around 5 minutes video time, Starks got up, and left the table. Bathroom? Maybe. But Traci was more interested in what happened at the table. Brock grabbed Starks' drink, popped the lid and dropped something in before quickly replacing the lid and returning the cup to where it was. He had plenty of time until Starks got back to the table.

They watched the rest of the video and also confirmed that they left in the same car. Brock definitely lied about that, and never mentioned that he slipped something in Starks' drink. Traci and Juliet thanked the manger profusely for helping them so quickly and went back to their car. Traci called Frankie to give her the update.

"So, Brock slipped something into Starks' drink.? That's interesting because the ME people seem to think Starks' was passed out before the carbon monoxide poisoning."

"Well, he's lawyering up. It's going to be difficult now to get anything from him and this whole thing is pretty light on conclusive proof."

"We can still scare him. Murder of Starks, accomplice to terrorism for the bombing. Even if we can't make it stick, we can scare him a plenty. I'm gonna head over and bag him up. You want to meet me there."

"Yeah, sure. You're closer than we are by quite a bit, so you might have to wait," Traci said.

"Hmm, just don't make it too long."

* * *

So, Frankie sat in her car, down the street, watching the house of Phillip Brock. Waiting. And waiting. What was this kid? A grad student? Chemical engineering? She could handle a science nerd, she thought. Nash and Ward would miss the bust but Frankie was tired of waiting so she got out of her car and approached the house. She checked the straps on her vest and pulled out her gun, checked that she was loaded with one in the chamber and re-holstered it. She climbed the front steps and rang the bell.

Then the porch blew up.


	44. Chapter 44

The call of a residential explosion came over the radio just before Traci and Juliet could see the smoke rising against the darkening sky. They both knew in their gut where it was coming from before the address was confirmed. Traci and Juliet shared a brief glance before Traci pressed down harder on the accelerator and Juliet flipped on both the siren and flashers. Then she grabbed her phone and punched up Frankie. No answer.

"Anderson's not answering," Juliet said and reached for the radio. "Guns and Gangs one mobile. Be advised, Homicide Detective Anderson was on scene at explosion. We're just down the street." Despite the pressure and adrenaline, Juliet wanted to remain calm on the radio so as not to add any confusion to the situation.

Traci pulled up to a stop kitty corner to what used to be the house rented by Phillip Brock. Now, the porch and entire front entry way was blown off and there was a gaping hole in the front siding. Along with a fire that was steady but not really spreading. They got out of the car and told the onlookers to please keep their distance. Frankie was nowhere to be seen. Juliet looked around and then she saw it. "Traci, other side of the street, down the block." Traci looked that way and noticed it too. Frankie's car.

Traci turned to the crowd, "Hey any of you see another officer here before us, a detective? Plain clothes?"

Muffled "No's" and shaking heads was the response of the group. A patrol car came speeding up and screeching to a stop, lights flashing. Traci told them to set up a perimeter and to have further responding units follow suit until further notice. Traci set Juliet to ask the other clusters of people if anybody saw Frankie. The fire department would be here soon and get a grasp on the fire. Until then, there wasn't much anybody else could do. Except sit and worry.

Traci's phone rang, it was Shaw.

"Nash," she answered.

"Nash, I just got off the phone with Jarvis. One of Bailey's ETF guys didn't make it. The burns were to extensive, I guess. So, our act of terrorism has a cop death with it. Where are you guys at on that?"

"Well, we're at that residential explosion near the university. The resident was our suspect for supplying the explosives."

"What?! Why didn't I know this? I saw it pop on my system but figured it was a gas line or something. I'm leaving now, I'll meet you there."

"Wait, Oliver, there's more." Traci explained how they got onto Brock in the first place and their conversation earlier. Then she transitioned to them coming to meet Frankie here to bring him in for the murder of Starks."

"But he's gone, I assume."

"Yeah, but the thing is Frankie was waiting for us here. Her car is here, but, uh, we can't find her."

* * *

When Oliver got on scene, the fire was out and the fire department said there was nobody, dead or alive, inside. They had some interesting information however. The lieutenant, who was in charge on-scene, told Oliver that judging from the burn pattern and other indicators, he was confident that there was a device positioned right under the porch. Directly under where you'd stand to ring the doorbell.

"So, somebody may have triggered it?", Oliver asked to make certain he understood.

"That would be my bet. If so, they were dead right away, no suffering," the firefighter said. He placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "I heard you're missing someone."

Oliver nodded but didn't know what to say. Frankie still hadn't turned up and the officers were all beginning to draw their own conclusions. Oliver wasn't interested in jumping to that yet, but the evidence was looking grim. Juliet told him that if they could access Frankie's dash cam, they might get some more information. So, he grabbed the Toughbook from his truck, gathered Traci and Juliet, and they went to Frankie's car. It was unlocked and Juliet got inside and connected the computer to the dash cam.

The footage pooped up on screen in a bunch of different clips. The camera is set to record all the time but only save footage from when the sirens and flashers are on. Or in other extreme conditions that the system interprets. It would also save some video from just before to show what may have led up to the event. Juliet was hoping that the explosion triggered it and the footage went back far enough. She browsed through the clips, there weren't many since a detective didn't engage in too many things like traffic stops. That let her locate the day more quickly.

"Okay, this is from the Starks death scene so it should be just after this." Juliet skipped through that quickly and the screen blacked for a bit then came back and was looking down the same street they were on. "Here we go." Juliet hit play and they all watched.

They heard a door close and then Frankie walked into the frame, in her vest. She drew her Glock, checked it and re-holstered it. "What is she doing? We told her to wait for us," Traci said. The on-screen Frankie then got to the corner and turned towards the house. "Oh, no," Juliet almost whispered. They all knew what was coming next and their guts told them the same thing. When the sound of the explosion followed by the cloud of smoke and dust came, they all tried hard but unsuccessfully to not break down.

* * *

Gail was sitting alone in her room at Dov and Chris' place. They were out in the living room, probably in their dress blues and ready to go, but not about to rush her. The outfit was laid out on the bed next to her, but she didn't want to put it on. Doing so would bring her closer to going to the church. And going there was one step closer to the finality of it all.

It had been a week since the explosion. Five-and-a-half days since she was told Frankie had been killed. She had worried and known that was probably the case since she heard Frankie was there and missing. But there was always a hope. A chance that Frankie would pop up with some crazy explanation. Then a person that lived down the street brought a copy of a video from their personal surveillance camera on the front of their house. It was pointed so that it also had a view down the street, including the Brock house. Oliver initially wasn't sure that Gail needed to see it but he relented upon her insistence. So, he and Gail, along with Traci, Juliet and Inspector Jarvis gathered in Oliver's office and watched Frankie turn the corner from where they knew her car was parked. She climbed the porch and a heartbeat later it blew up. In that moment, everyone realized that Frankie's impulsiveness saved the lives of Traci and Juliet. Gail didn't immediately break down. That came later. Instead she just went away, mentally checked out. She wasn't sure how she got home that day, Chris had probably driven her but she couldn't remember.

Somewhere between friends-with-benefits and a true relationship, it was undeniable that Gail and Frankie cared about each other and losing that support was going to take a while to get over. Different people had tried to be there for her before, but nothing ever lasted long when it got more serious than friends. And just when a causal relationship was working for both sides, some asshole comes around and takes it away.

Now here she was, the day of the funeral. The day to close another chapter of Gail's story. She shook herself out of her reverie and finally began to put on the black ensemble. When that was done, she exited her room and found Chris Dov and Chloe all patiently waiting. Nobody said anything but they all gave Gail a hug. Gail was too out of it to put up any resistance and even returned the embraces. Then they climbed into Chris' Jeep and away to the church they went.

* * *

An APB went out on Brock the night of the explosion. Originally, he was a suspect in the terrorist act downtown that killed one of Bailey's guys and wounded several others. Since, it had been updated to include the murder of Detective Anderson. The OPP, SQ, and all the other provincial police services, as well as the RCMP were on alert. The border was also aware and authorities in America were informed of the situation in case he had already crossed over sometime before. Effectively it was out of Toronto's hands which left a sour taste in the mouths of everyone. They desperately wanted to give closure to Anderson's family, but couldn't offer anything more than condolences.

The church was crowded when Sam and Andy got there. Andy had been feeling unwell the last couple days but wasn't going to miss a cop funeral. Especially one that hit so close. All of 15, with the exception of Gail who was by Frankie's family, was seated in a large clump. Most of the church was divided up in to Services from around the province and country. All coming out to pay respects to a sister-in-arms.

Sam and Andy squeezed into a row that included a lot of their platoon. Nobody said much to anybody, besides to acknowledge them. The Chief said some words speaking to Detective Anderson's heroism and distinguished record. Oliver stood up and shared some stories that were a bit more personal in nature. Focusing not only on the officer but the person. A lot of officers could have stood up and said similar things but Oliver captured all of their sentiments. Her family had a couple of members go up and tell stories from the past, there were laughs and more tears. In the end Gail didn't say anything, but those that knew her understood.

* * *

A week after the funeral, there was still no hint of a clue into Brock's whereabouts. He was effectively off the radar. And with each passing minute, it was more and more likely he wasn't going to get caught soon. Sam and Dov tried to keep on it as best they could but their own cases as well as the cases they inherited from Frankie were taking a lot of their attention.

Plus, for Dov, the wedding was only a couple of weeks away and his mind was understandably elsewhere sometimes. Chloe had talked with Gail about postponing the wedding for a bit, but Gail told her to go ahead. She didn't want to cause those kinds of problems. Besides, Gail was back to work and trying to move on in her life. Her new approach, outside of the few friends she already had, was to not let anyone close to her. Somebody always got hurt.

* * *

A/N: I want to apologize for taking a little longer than usual to post this chapter but I kept going back and forth on what was happening. And then once that got squared away, writing and re-writing several parts took extra time. But I wanted to make sure the story was at it's best. I don't know if everyone liked Frankie. I know there are a lot of Gail/Holly fans out there, of which I am, but I liked Frankie's character from as soon as she showed up on the show. She was something Rookie Blue didn't have and I'm sad the show didn't last longer to explore her character more. But, with the show setting up some connection between her and Gail in those last episodes, I wanted to play it out. And in the end, I wanted to give her character a good sendoff but also not drag it out. With that being said, when I'm writing, the story takes over and I follow where it takes me. When I started writing this plot line, I had no intention of killing off a character. I didn't even know how each chapter was going to play out. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story, despite the sad chapter presented here, and stick around for future ones. There are bright spots to come!


	45. Chapter 45

"McNally, can you come here a minute?"

Andy was walking through the bullpen when Oliver called to her from outside his office. He waved her in. She took the stairs the led directly into the office. "Sir?"

"Take a seat McNally."

"Uh-oh. What did I do now?", Andy asked with a grin.

Knowing she was joking, Oliver didn't answer that. "I want to talk about Gail."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so it's been a couple weeks since, well you know. Anyway, I wanted your take on how she's doing."

"Well, from what I can tell she's showing no troubling signs. Which in itself would be troubling in most people. But Gail is different from most people."

"Heh, yeah."

"I've had Chris or Nick paired with her and they haven't said anything to me. I honestly think she's okay. I don't know how but she is."

"That was my read as well," Oliver said. "I was just looking to hear it from somebody else, you know, to make sure I wasn't seeing what I wanted to."

"Well, this is Gail. She doesn't project her emotions like we do."

"She's a hard read, yeah. But the shrink apparently didn't see a reason for her not to return and if she's doing fine then I guess we should be happy about that."

"Wait, she actually went to see a shrink? Gail?" Andy couldn't imagine Gail opening up and talking to anybody, especially somebody she didn't know when it wasn't mandated.

"Yeah, I was surprised too. She resisted for a while but one day she just went in and didn't even put up a fight about it."

"Huh, maybe this is a new Gail."

"Yeah, maybe," Oliver wasn't sure if 15 could handle a new Gail. Almost seven years and they still hadn't figured out the first one. "Well, let's get to parade. The class is probably getting anxious."

* * *

" _Attempted carjacking on Hastings. Unit to handle, code two."_

Chris indicated the radio, "You want to take that?" He and Gail had been out of the barn for a little while now, but this was the first call they were in range of. A pretty quiet day, so far.

Gail grabbed the transceiver, "This is 1504, mark us on that assault." She hung it back in its cradle. TO Chris, "So what have you got planned for Dov?"

"What?"

"Bachelor party. Dov. You, best man."

"Oh, right, we're just doing something at the Penny. Mostly beers."

"So, big plans," Gail said sarcastically.

"Why, you guys doing something big with Chloe?"

Gail shook her head. "Honestly, no clue. Andy and Traci are taking care of all that. They haven't bothered me with any details other than to confirm I was going."

"And are you?"

"Yeah, why not? Gotta party and get drunk while I still can."

Gail turned the corner onto Hastings and located some civilians waving them down a block or so away.

"Yeah, Chris replied. Then when he understood what Gail said, "Wait, what do you mean 'while I still can'?"

"We're here, time to go to work." Gail never answered Chris, didn't even acknowledge the question.

* * *

In truth, Gail had talked to more people than just the psychiatrist. Traci had been an obvious person to talk to. True, Gail and Frankie didn't have what Traci and Jerry had, but still, she could help. Traci's best advice came over a glass of wine at her place, on a cold, rainy evening soon after Frankie died.

"Gail, the biggest thing I realized with Jer is that life is short. I know that's cliché but it's so true. Add in our job and it can be even shorter. But my point is that you can't waste time. Don't push anything off, don't save it for later. If you want something, go get it. Because you might not get another chance. I lost time with Jerry when I was trying to work things out with Dex and I'll never stop wondering where we would have been if I didn't walk away for a time."

Gail soaked it all in and recognized the heartfelt truth that was realized through heartbreak.

A couple of nights later, while Gail was out driving around came a call from San Francisco. Gail, I know you won't like this, and maybe I'm only saying this because I'm of the medical profession, but I think you should try talking to the Service's psychiatrist. There you can say whatever you have to. Get whatever you need to off your chest. If it's nothing, then so be it. But at least then you know."

So, the next day Gail wet in and talked to the shrink. She didn't have much to say but what little she did made her feel better and Dr. Papanault was happy to listen. That night she and Chris had a quiet drink at the Penny. "Gail, you just need to find whatever it is that will make you happy, right now. I'm not saying that in terms of another relationship, but only you know for certain what it is that would make you happiest. What would complete you the most. If it's nothing, at the moment, then make that assessment day-by-day.

And so, she spent many nights lying in bed. Soul-searching and being on the brink of returning a call she got a day after Frankie died. Why was she hesitating? Why was she indecisive about it now, when she was so certain before? Certain enough to live with the fact it may end her relationship with Frankie. Certain enough that she was willing to put the heartbreak from it in the past and try again. Certain enough that she had done all the classes and was now a phone call away from committing.

Commitment. Was that it? Gail had always been uneasy about it before. those times were about her relationships but this time was different. No, she wouldn't be scared off anymore. With a smile she hopped out of bed, completely unaware of the early morning hour and hit return call. Unsurprisingly, it went to voicemail.

"Hi, it's me. Gail. Listen, I know you said you could give me some time, because of what happened, and I appreciate that. But I've talked to people and I'm ready. Lauralee, I'm ready to be a mom, and I'd love to prove that to you. So, uh, please call me back."

* * *

At the attempted carjacking, Gail and Chris took statements and wrote up a report, giving the car owner a case number for his insurance. They'd pass it along to Traffic Division and the D's there would do what they could. Back in the car, Gail's phone rang and she looked at the screen. It was Lauralee. "I need to take this." She got back out of the car and walked a few steps away and answered. Chris wondered what it could be about that she didn't want to talk in front of him. Must be something pretty private. At least she was smiling, Chris observed. That was a good sign.

Gail hung up and got back in the car. She was undeniably happy.

"That seemed pleasant," Chris said.

Gail radioed dispatch, "1504 is 10-8 off that attempted carjacking."

As she pulled away from the curb she asked Chris, "DO you want to grab breakfast before shift tomorrow? Just you and me. That Pancake house downtown where spilled the syrup all over Dov that one time."

"Uh, sure, what's the occas-"

"Perfect, it's a date.

"Ok, but is there a reas-"

"Chris, just be there.

* * *

That next morning, Chris got up early to catch breakfast with Gail only to find her already about to leave.

"Hey, you got up early."

"Well, early bird gets the worm, eh. Is that what they say?"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Yes, they do say that. But you've never subscribed to it. Why are you so chipper?"

Gail laughed, a genuine laugh, not a condescending one. "Am I? I hadn't noticed." She looked at her watch. "I got go, I'll see you at the restaurant."

"I thought we weren't going for another 30 minutes or so?"

"Oh, yeah, I have to run an errand first. But I'll be there." With that she was out the door.

Chris shrugged then realized that Gail was dressed up a bit more than one would need to be to have breakfast before shift. What was she up to? Chris pondered that as he went to take a shower.

30 minutes later on the dot, he parked his jeep down the street from the pancake house and got out into the crisp air of the spring morning. He loved this weather. To him, this is what Toronto should feel like. He was still caught up in the beautiful day when he got to the door and saw Traci approaching from the opposite direction.

"Traci?"

She looked up from her phone. "Diaz?"

As she got closer, it was apparent that Traci was also intending to enter the restaurant. "What are you doing here?", Chris asked as he held the door for her.

"I could ask you the same question," she smiled. "I'm meeting Gail for breakfast."

"What? I mean, that's why I'm here but she said it was only the two of us."

Traci gave him a confused thing. "She told me the same thing, just the two of us."

Gail must have seen them walk in because she appeared and led them back towards a table. Adding further to the confusion for Chris and Traci, was the fact that the table was already occupied by a lady and a young girl, maybe six.

Chris was at a loss. "What's happening."

Traci was as confused but greeted the two at the table. Chris rebounded and followed suit.

Gail was a huge smile. "Chris, Traci, this is Lauralee. She's the social worker that oversaw my case with Sophie. "And this bundle of joy," she moved over to stand behind a girl that was coloring away on one of the children's menus, "is Kali." Chris was struck by the resemblance of Kali to Gail. Both being of fair complexion and blond hair.

"Lauralee, Kali, this is Chris Diaz and Traci Nash, they both work at 15 Division with me. We're from the same academy class too." Gail indicated for them to take a seat so they did. Both Chris and Traci were getting an idea of what was happening but they were going to let Gail tell them.

"So, you guys are probably wondering why you're here, why the deception. Well, I wanted this to be a surprise, of sorts. See, I've been working through the adoption process for a while now, ever since the Carson girl. Remember her? Anyway, I ran into Lauralee on that case and It struck me that I didn't want to give up on this so I started through the process again and here we are."

"So, you're adopting Kali?"

"Yep, I am." Gail looked at the girl and Traci picked up on a maternal twinkle in her eye.

"How long have you known?", Traci asked.

"Well, this was actually pretty much finalized few weeks ago. But then, well, you know what happened. And Lauralee offered me a little time but after talking to you guys and Holly and the psychiatrist, I was certain I was ready to be a mom. So, here we are."

"It's true," Lauralee said. "Gail is definitely ready to be a mom and Kali is ready to have one."

"Wow, I'm really happy for you Gail!", Chris said.

"We both are," Traci said and they both gave Gail a hug.

"So, we're the first to know, huh?", Chris asked. "From 15 I mean."

Gail nodded.

"Why us?", Traci asked.

"Well, I was hoping you'd agree to be Kali's godparents," Gail said anxiously.

Chris and Traci thought for but a second and gleefully agreed.


	46. Chapter 46

A/N: Sorry about the wait between chapters. Life kept getting in the way of writing this last week or so. I made this chapter longer than usual to tr to make up for that. I think you'll enjoy it. :-)

* * *

Oliver walked into 15's parade room, which was alive with its usual commotion. He liked getting there a little bit early in case somebody needed to talk to him and just to be around his officers before they got down to business. Sure enough, Gail stood and walked up to him.

"Sir can I talk to you after parade? No big deal or anything."

"Yeah sure thing. Say, in 10 minutes or so."

Gail nodded, "That'll work." She went back to her seat next to Diaz and Oliver took the podium.

"Here's what's on the docket for today ladies and gents. No special assignments. Also, our numbers were up last quarter. Everybody, just keep doing what you're doing, headquarters is happy. And a happy H.Q. makes a happy Inspector. And a happy Inspector makes a happy Staff Sergeant. So, "Oliver said with a smile," keep me happy. Lastly, Detectives Swarek and Epstein caught that antique store robbery from yesterday."

"Right," Sam hopped off the table he was seated on in the back of the room and walked up to the front of the room near Oliver. "Antique store on Queen was robbed in broad daylight yesterday. Small operation that was empty at the time." Sam picked up a remote from the podium and clicked the play button for the TV. The screen came to life showing security camera footage pointed at the door and a counter.

"Or perp walks in, hides his face from both cameras. There were two employees working at the time but there was only one up front. Suspect walks up and she told us that he pulled a gun from his coat pocket and was going to shoot her if she didn't empty the register. She did, and he took off." Sam's narration of the video playing on front of them ended and Epstein took over.

"The employee says he spoke with an accent, she described as southern USA, but she thinks it was fake. It was too put on. Beyond that, he was of average height, slight stubble, probably around 30. She says the gun was a Walther. She's been around guns her whole life. Her family is all hunters and target shooters so she was pretty confident in what it was."

Oliver picked up. "Not much to go on but just keep your eyes and ears open for anything. Guys like this will probably strike again." Oliver let that sit for a moment then said, "Alright, get out of here."

* * *

Gail knocked on Oliver's office door. Parade had been over for a few minutes and he waved her in.

"Peck, what can I do for you? Have a seat."

Gail sat down on one of the tables against the windows. "Staff, I need to take some personal days. Shouldn't be more than two or three."

Oliver nodded. "Okay. Everything alright?"

"Oh yeah, it's fine. I just have some things to take care of. I'm getting a new place and I have to finalize that and some other stuff."

"Ah, nice. Where at?"

"Leslieville. You know, it's just time for me to have my own place."

Oliver was curious about the whole story but didn't press. His gut told him there was more to this but with everything that was going on in Gail's life lately, he wasn't going to pry. "Sure, sure. Just tell me or McNally before you do finally take off and we're good to go."

Gail stood up, "Thank you, sir."

"You got it. Just don't stay gone too long. We need ya."

"I won't, sir." Gail left his office and headed for the lot. She was starting to see the light at the end of all of this. Once her apartment was finalized and the adoption officially went through in another couple of weeks, all of the waiting, the struggles of the last year or so would be behind her. She wasn't going to let them hold her back anymore.

* * *

Marcy and Jake were cruising when a call came in for a disturbance at a nearby shopping plaza. Dispatch detailed it as two parties fighting in one of the stores. They responded code 1 and were told backup was about three minutes behind them. When they pulled up, from what they could see, nobody seemed to be acting out of the ordinary. I fact, the people seemed surprised to see a police car pull up with lights and sirens. Inside the store were the alleged fight was taking place nobody had any knowledge about a fight.

"This is 1507, disregard incident at location. Slow everybody down and redirect them. It was a false alarm Marcy said into her radio."

" _Roger, 1507."_

"Well, that was a bust," Jake said as he opened the door of the store.

"That's how it goes some-"

She was interrupted by the distinct sound of two gunshots. Behind them and to the left.

"Those were close!", Jake said, and they scrambled into their car and went in that general direction.

"This is 1507, we have gunshots near our location," Jake said as Marcy turned a corner and they saw a crowd of people gathered down the street. "Send us backup."

The crowd, having noticed the squad car rolling towards them, began waving and pointing at the storefront they were gathered in front of.

Marcy stopped in the street, flipped on the flashers and she and Jake got out. Immediately, the crowd began yelling and it was a mass of confusion that initially was difficult to sift through.

"Please! One at a time!", Marcy yelled over the crowd.

"The store owner, he got shot. He's in there," One man near the front said calmly after everyone stopped talking over each other.

"Who shot him?" Jake asked.

"Some guy," a woman near the edge of the group said. I didn't really get a good look at him. But he ran north and then ducked into that alley," she pointed down the street and they could make out the indentation of an alleyway. "He looked banged up and he was clutching his side.

At that time another squad pulled up and Chris got out with Chloe. Marcy brought them up to speed and Chris put Chloe on the store until medics got there. The three others all took off down the street. Just shy of the alleyway, they spotted some blood spots. They were bright red as opposed to a darker, more purple, tinge which would have indicated a more serious injury.

Jake and Marcy, respectively, stacked up behind Chris and they drew their weapons. Chris counted it down silently and peeked around the corner for a quick check before stepping out into the gap. While held aim down the alleyway, Marcy and Jake flanked him on either side and they slowly moved down the alley, checking every crevice and possible hiding spot.

About halfway down the alley Jake pointed to a dumpster. On it was a bloody hand print near the far edge. On the ground was a blood trail leading around the corner. It led to a solid brick wall. They had the suspect cornered.

Chris and Marcy acknowledged, and Chris indicated for them to stand back from the gap. "This is the police!", Chris said, gun aimed at the gap beyond the dumpster. "You're hurt, and we want to help but you need to throw out your weapon first."

They all stood in a tense silence. After a moment Chris said, "We know you're back there. We're not going anywhere, and you can't hold out. C'mon man, every second you delay puts you in further danger." Jake looked to Chris and shrugged and looked to Chris. If the suspect didn't do anything, they'd have to go and get him, even if he had a weapon on him still. While Chris was weighing that option, a gun came sliding out from the gap. Chris, still aiming his weapon stepped around the corner and was in front of the suspect. He motioned with a tilt of his head for Marcy and Jake to come around and secure the weapon and suspect.

That complete, they all holstered their guns. Chris triggered his radio, "This is Diaz, we have one in custody. We need medics in the alley just north of that store shooting."

" _Sending you another ambulance_ ," dispatch said back.

Chris told Jake and Marcy to stay with the suspect and he went back to Chloe at the store. The medics were loading the store owner onto a stretcher when Chris got there. "How is he?", Chris asked.

"He's thready, we need to get him to surgery fast," one of the medics said. They wheeled past him.

"He had a gun behind the counter, there was also a shell casing back there," Chloe said.

"Okay, go with the ambulance, keep us updated."

"Yep," Chloe said and hustled to catch up to the medics before they rolled out.

" _Medics are here and prepping to transport_ ," Marcy's voice came over the radio.

"One of you go with them, the other stay there until the techs get there to process the scene. I'll have somebody run some crime scene tape up there," Chris said.

Diaz walked out the door and told the crowd they had to move back. Another squad pulled up, no longer in a rush after the situation was neutralized. Gail and Nick got out and walked up to Chris who was grabbing some tape out of his trunk. Where do you need us?", Nick asked. For now, Chris was in charge since he was the senor that had been on scene the longest.

Chris shut his trunk and said, "Run some tape up to the alley. Tape off the whole area back down the sidewalk to here. Clear these pedestrians to the other side of the street, and set up a perimeter. Basically, we're just holding the scene now until the crime scene guys get here."

"On it," Nick said and got back in his car and moved it up the street near the alley.

Chris taped off the entry to the store and he and Gail ducked under it. "Looks like a botched robbery. They shot each other.

"How's the other guy?"

"He'll make it, it wasn't a deep wound judging from the blood color," Chris said. "But he almost made it worse for himself when he wouldn't surrender his gun. Gail looked around the store for a minute then asked, "What did he look like. How old?"

"Average looking guy, I guess. Early to mid-thirties, probably.

"And the gun, what type was it?

"I'm not sure. "It was black, looked like a subcompact. What's up? Why all the questions?"

"Chris, look around. Small store, I don't even see a camera. Only one employee. ATM in the corner, and no credit card machine at the register, which is very old school."

"So, it's a cash-only business," Chris said. "A good target for a robbery considering everything."

"Just like an antique store that was held up not far from here by a guy that matches the description you just gave."

Chris caught on, "Collins," he said into his radio. "Are you still up at the alley?"

" _Yeah, I'm here with Zettle."_

"Ask her to bring you to the gun the suspect discarded. Tell us what it is."

"O _kay, it's a Walther. Probably a PPS but I can't confirm anything else without disturbing it."_

"That's fine, you gave us what we needed."

" _Happy to help_."

"I guess we better call Swarek and Dov," Chris said.

"Yup," Gail already had her phone out and was dialing.

* * *

Sam's phone jostled him out of report-writing-induced boredom. "It's Peck," he said to Dov. "Swarek," he answered. He listened for a couple moments. Then, "a Subcompact Walther? You don't say. Where is this at?" … "And the hospital is Memorial?" … "Alright, I'm sending Epstein to you guys. Let Foxx know I'm on my way."

He filled Dov in and gave him the keys to their car. Sam would take his truck. He was scribbling in a couple last notes on the file he'd been working before when Andy came by and sat down in Dov's empty seat.

"McNally, what are you doing in the barn?" Sam closed the file and put it in a file cabinet next to his desk.

"Same as you, paperwork. You heading out?"

"Yeah, it's a bit of a long story but it ends with our antique store robber possibly down at memorial waiting to have a bullet removed from him?"

"Seriously?"

"Well, it's not 100% but a lot of dots are connected on this one. We'll get a picture to the witness and get a confirmation but I'm feeling good about it.

"I'm glad. Uh, Sam, um…"

"Yeah, what's up Andy?" Sam was putting on his jacket and grabbing his keys.

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to talk about something, but we can do it tonight."

"You sure?", Sam eyed his wife, but she wasn't betraying anything.

"Yeah, close your case then we'll celebrate tonight. We can talk about it then."

"Alright, we'll crack into a bottle of Wine and do it right."

"Wine, right," Andy smirked.

* * *

The next few hours consisted of Sam going to the hospital waiting for the suspect, whose name was Wayne Jensen, to get out of surgery. He pulled up Jensen's record and printed a previous mugshot from a misdemeanor arrest for possession. He put it together with 5 other similar looking shots from the dummy file and ran the array by the address of the antique store employee. She identified Jensen right away. Sam smiled on the inside.

He rendezvoused with Dov and they swung by the hospital. They were told Jensen had been moved to a regular recovery room. An officer neither Sam nor Dov recognized was standing guard outside. He stepped up and raised his hands, about to tell Sam and Dov the room was off limits. They flashed their badges and he apologized for the misunderstanding and stepped aside.

Inside, Jensen was talking to his attorney, a public defender that Sam had run across a couple times.

"Detectives, I'm in the middle of privileged discussion with my client. Please-"

"This won't take long," Sam interrupted. "It's actually good that you're here. We just wanted to let your client know that he's been positively identified as the man that held up an antique store last night."

Jensen didn't say anything, but his face said it all. He was caught, and he knew it. Hell, he was already going down for robbery and attempted murder, what's another charge."

"My client has no comment on that. Now please, let us talk in private."

"Sure thing," Sam said.

"Good night, gents," Dov said before shutting the door behind them.

* * *

That night, during dinner Sam pulled out a bottle of wine and got two glasses from a cupboard. He set one in front of Andy and himself and uncorked the bottle. As he went to pour Andy a glass, she stopped him.

"McNally?"

"Sam, I think I'm going to stay away from alcohol for tonight. Actually, for a lot of nights, for that matter."

Sam realized what she was saying, and a big smile grew on his face. "You mean…"

Andy smiled, and tears ran formed in her eyes. "We're gonna have a baby."

Sam almost dropped the bottle, not caring about it anymore, then thought better of it and set it down on the table. He scooped up his wife and cradled her while they shared a deep kiss followed by a tight embrace.


	47. Chapter 47

"Are you positive yet?"

Sam glanced up at his wife. Ever since she had shown him the pregnancy test, he couldn't seem to stop checking it. Grinning widely, he said, "Sweetheart, I'm sorry, it's just, I feel like I could be dreaming."

"I could punch you, see if you wake up?", Andy offered.

"What happened to pinching?"

"Eh, not really my style. Unless you need me to go soft on you," Andy seductively raised an eyebrow.

Sam shook his head. "I'm just so happy, I don't know what to do."

"I may have some ideas," Andy nibbled her lower lip.

In the morning, over breakfast, Sam asked, "So, how are we going to handle this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like, are we gonna keep it under wraps for a while? Tell some people? Tell everyone."

"I don't see why we'd have to keep it between us. Sam, this is a good thing, we should share it with our friends. Heck, they're basically part of our family."

"Speaking of which…"

"Right, we should probably call Dad."

Sam shrugged, "Just a thought."

"And while we're at it, Sarah?"

Sam hesitated.

"Sam, you promised me you would try to extend that branch, patch things up."

Sam looked at Andy about to say something, but held it back.

"I don't pretend to know what your relationship is like. But, we both know that deep down you two do care for each other. Sam, this life is too short. And in our line-of-work, tomorrow is no guarantee. Plus, a baby is a perfect conversation starter."

"Andy…," Sam paused, sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We'll call her tonight after shift, okay?"

Andy smiled, "Perfect, Sam. That is so good to hear."

"What about Marlo? I mean with Mia, she should probably know."

"Of course, we'll call her tonight, too."

"Is that everyone?", Sam asked. "All of this preparation is giving me a headache."

Andy laughed lightly. "Yeah, I think you can relax. Everyone else we'll see at work today."

"Well then, let's call Dad," Sam reached for the phone and passed it to Andy.

* * *

They agreed that they need to tell Traci and Oliver first, best friend privileges and all. So, they wrangled up Nash and brought her to Oliver's office before shift. Both were confused about the manner of the meeting but were soon thrilled with the good news and hugs were exchanged all around. Sam and Andy figured that since they wanted everyone to know anyway, it would be easiest to get it all done at once. They decided to let Oliver handle the reveal during parade.

So, there Sam and Andy sat together in the back of the room, like usual, when Sam showed up to parade. The briefing was wrapping up and the platoon was sensing that and beginning to get antsy.

"On that note, serve, protect, and uh, oh, wait one more thing." Half of the group was already yout of their seats. "Heh, I almost forgot. Whoops," Oliver grinned. "Um, this is news I got this morning, before Parade. It may be of interest to you. 15's very own, Sergeant McNally and Detective Swarek are going to have a little…McSwarek, I guess."

All heads turned to the happy couple who were smiling back. After everyone congratulated them and went on their way, except for Traci who remained with them, Oliver walked up. "How'd I do?"

"That was perfectly you, Brother," Sam said.

"Really, even the 'McSwarek' part."

"C'mon," Andy said, that was part of your plan, right?"

"Sure, yeah, of course it was. I completely thought that out. Every couple has a celebrity name nowadays, right?"

"It's fine," Sam assured him. "As long as it connects me to her, I couldn't care less what the name is."

"On a different note, where's Gail?"

"Oh, right. That I actually did forget about," Oliver said. "She told me yesterday that she needed to take a couple personal days. Those are starting today. I was going to grab you this morning, but your announcement put that on my back burner."

"Oh, well, I'll just have to call and tell her personally. Any idea what's going on. It's not like her to take days off."

"She didn't say anything specific. Only that'd she be back soon. Beyond that I have no clue."

They all looked at each other. Traci shrugged, "That doesn't sound like her." Traci wouldn't meet their eyes.

"Do you know something?", Andy asked. She knew her friend well enough to know her tells.

"What? No. This is the first I've heard of this." Just then her phone buzzed. She pulled it out. "It's ward, I need to get upstairs." She turned on her heels and hurried out the door.

"Saved by the bell," Andy remarked.

"Yeah, that was weird. Well, anyway. Be safe out there."

* * *

Later that morning, Sam was at his desk, following up on some lab reports, when his cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number and let it ring through to voicemail. It rang again, almost immediately. This time, Sam ran the number and saw it came back to Milburn Penitentiary. That piqued his interest. This time they left a voicemail and didn't call back. Sam finished up his call with the lab and picked up his phone, going to listen to the voicemail. Before he could however, his phone rang again.

"You're in demand today," Dov said from across their desks, not looking away from his computer.

"It's my sister."

That grabbed Dov's attention. He knew, as everyone did since Sam got shot, how fractured their relationship was. He looked over at his partner as Sam listened intently then got up and hustled away.

Sam walked to the end of the D's office, and out the door and down the stairs to the back door and out to the parking lot. He was climbing into his truck when he said into his phone, "Okay, I'm leaving now. I'll be out there as soon as I can, I'll probably beat you there. I'll update you."

He took off out of the lot and called Epstein.

"Epstein," Dov answered.

"It's Swarek, Listen. I'm taking off for the day. Stay out of trouble. If anybody needs anything I'll be on my cell."

"Yeah, sure. Everything all right?"

"Uh, no. I don't know," Sam clicked off. Next, he called Andy. She didn't answer, and he got pushed off to her voicemail. "Hey McNally. Dad, my dad, just collapsed when he was in the yard. I don't have all the details, but they took him straight to the local hospital, skipped the infirmary. They think he had a heart attack. That's all I know right now. I talked to Sarah and she's really upset about it so I'm going to meet her there. I'll keep you posted. Love you."

Sam hung up and gathered his thoughts. These last 15 or so hours have sure been crazy. He couldn't have been more thrilled than to learn that he was going to have a family with McNally. And now here he was going to a far-off hospital to be there for a man he didn't really care for and to support a sister who he only connected with in rare occasions. Weird how life works sometimes.

* * *

Andy was taking a couple minutes to talk to Gail on the phone when Sam tried calling her. "Hold on Gail, I'm getting another call." Andy pulled her phone away from her ear to see who it was. Sam. She considered taking it but figured she would be done with Gail soon and she'd call him back then. If it was really important, he'd call again and then she'd take it. She passed the call to voicemail and re-connected to Gail. "It's just Sam, I'll call him back. Anyway, I just wanted to check in and make sure everything was all right."

"Trust me, things are very good right now. If you really want to know, I'll tell you a little something. Just keep it on the D.L."

"The D.L.?"

"Down-low? You know, like don't talk about it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what it means. I just didn't know you used phrases like that."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Andy."

She couldn't argue with that. "Point taken."

"Anyway, I'm buying my own place and I have to do some finalizing stuff. NO big deal, really. That's why I only needed a couple days, max."

"So, you're striking out on your own, huh?"

"Well, I have some big things coming up for me, and this was something I needed to do."

"Big things? This sounds intriguing."

"It is. But you'll have to wait and see."

"Oh, well, can't blame me for trying. Anyway, I better let you go. You have things to do and I should check to see what Sam wanted.

"Yeah, I'm just about to meet with the realtor."

"Good luck, Gail. Can't wait for the housewarming party." Andy hung up and checked her voicemail. She read through the transcript her phone produced of Sam's message. Then she called him back.


	48. Chapter 48

A/N: Hey guys. I'm sorry about the abnormally long wait between updates. With Thanksgiving last week, I was pretty busy and life just didn't let up. Anyway, I wanted to make it up to you so I made this chapter longer than I usually do and I will try to get the another chapter out in the next couple of days or so. Thanks for the patience.

* * *

Sam got to the hospital and located the emergency room entrance. Inside, he went to the desk and told them who he was there to see. The clerk at the desk paged a doctor to come meet Sam. Sam took a seat while he waited. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Sarah, saying he was there and waiting. She replied back that she was still about an hour out.

"Mr. Swarek?"

Sam looked up at the doctor that had walked over to him.

"I'm Dr. Sarah Perry. Why don't we go talk in private?"

Sam stood up and indicated for her to lead him. They entered a consultation room off the ER ward and Dr. Perry shut the door. "Mr. Swarek, I don't know what you've been told from the prison but, I'm sorry to tell you that your Father is in bad shape."

Sam processed that, he wasn't surprised given that he'd been told Jay had a heart attack. "How bad was the heart attack?"

"It was pretty serious. Given his age and previous health, it did some damage. For the heart attack, we took him to the cath lab and performed an angioplasty and put in a stent. Basically, we placed a catheter through an artery to the blocked artery in his heart. The paramedics administered aspirin on the way here to begin to help with blood flow."

"Okay, so it sounds like you guys got on top of that in time, right?"

"We did; however, we'll need to keep monitoring his progress for some time before I'll be read to say he's over the hump on this. He'll also need lifestyle and dietary changes, which in a prison, could be hard to guarantee."

"Right. Thanks, Doc."

"No problem. DO you want me to take you to him?"

"Actually, my sister is on her way, should be here within the hour. Could we wait and go in together when she gets here."

"Sure, it's probably better that way so he can get more rest instead of two separate visits. Do you need anything else?"

"Nah, I'll head to the cafeteria and get some coffee and wait."

"Sure, I'll give you my card. If you have any questions or do decide you need something I can help you with, just have the people at the desk page me."

"Will do, thank you."

Doctor Perry nodded at Sam and walked him back out of the ER ward. She pointed him in the general direction of the cafeteria and using the signs he found his way there. He got his coffee and sat down with it. He rubbed his eyes and pulled out his phone. Three missed-calls from Andy. He dialed her back.

"Sam, what's going on?", she asked without preamble.

"Hey McNally." Sam filled her in on what Dr. Perry told him. "I'm waiting for Sarah to get here before we go in and see him."

"Makes sense. Are you going to be there for a while? Do you want me to head up after shift?"

"Nah, I shouldn't be here too long. Sarah should be here pretty soon, and I won't stay after that. Just go home and keep Boo company. I'll be home later. Trust me, I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

"Okay, Sam. Love you."

"Love you too."

Now he had nothing else to do but sit back and drink his coffee while he waited for Sarah.

* * *

About an hour later, Sam and Sarah were walking out of the hospital. Sarah was still shaken up, but Sam thought he noticed her relax a little bit when she saw Jay was still alive. "Are you going to be okay?", Sam asked her when they got out side.

"I think so. I'm going to try to find a hotel around here. Just to be around for a bit. I called my boss and he told me to take a few days if I needed them so that's what I'm going to do."

Sam nodded. "That's good. I'm heading back to the city, but I can be back here pretty quick if you need me."

"Yeah, don't worry Sam, go be with your wife. I'll let you know if something changes."

Sam was trying to decide when to tell Sarah about the baby and figured this was as good a time as he was going to get. "Yeah, I'll do that. Speaking of Andy. She's pregnant."

Sarah, who had been looking off into the distance, turned her head slowly to face her brother. She was even smiling slightly. Their relationship wasn't at the point where she excitedly embraced her brother, but she was still happy for him and Andy. "That's great to hear Sam, really. I don't know how she puts up with you sometimes, but I'm happy for the two of you."

Sam grinned, "Sometimes I wonder. Especially, considering how many times I've almost permanently screwed up. But she's made me a better person. I couldn't be a father to Mia or our future child if not for her."

"I believe that. Listen, I'll keep you updated on this front. Maybe when I head back in a few days, I'll stop by and you, me, and Andy can grab a bite to eat or something?"

"Yah, we can do that. I'll tell Andy, she'll be excited."

"Okay Sam, take care."

Sam climbed in his truck waved a final time to his sister and took off back towards Toronto. He texted Andy to tell her he was heading home and asked if she wanted him to pick up any dinner on the way home. She texted him back not to worry. She had it covered. When he did finally make it home, he discovered that Andy had already acquired some Chinese food for dinner. She had kept it warm and was waiting for him.

"You didn't have to wait for me." Sam said, feeling bad about making her wait.

"No, it's okay. I wanted to." Andy got Boo to get up off of her, and she rose up from the couch.

"Well, in that case, let's not keep you waiting any longer." Sam grabbed some plates and table ware and set them out for he and his wife. Andy brought over the food and opened up the takeout boxes. They both took portions from all of the options and enjoyed a nice meal together. Just the two of them. And, of course, Boo Radley hoping that something might fall on the floor.

* * *

Gail woke up the next morning in her room in the shared apartment with Dov and Chris. That was the last time that would happen. Yesterday she signed off on the paperwork for her new place and today she received her furnishings. She still had to pack up some stuff but that could wait until her roommates left for shift.

Considering Chris already knew about Kali, and since Dov might need to find a new roommate, she had told him about Kali and her new place. Dov promised to keep it a secret. Aside from Holly, only he, Chris, and Traci knew. And so far, none of them have let any indication slip to the others that they knew anything.

Gail joined Chris for breakfast. Dov and Chloe had gotten an early start on the morning and were already out of the apartment. They had to take care of some last-minute wedding preparations before shift; the big day was Friday and it was Tuesday.

"Who's going to make you breakfast now that you're on your own," Chris teased after he set down a couple pancakes in front of Gail.

"I know how to cook," Gail protested.

"Yeah? Then how come Dov and I always end up being the ones making the meals around here?"

"Well…I just figured you guys liked to. I mean, you're both good at it."

"I won't argue that," Chris said. "I'm just trying to look out for you. And Kali, too."

Gail smiled, "You know, I can always pour a bowl of cereal, if necessary."

Chris laughed a little bit, "Now that's something I can see." Changing topics, he asked, "You're sure you don't need any help today?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. Everything that's left is mostly small. And a small bit of clothes. Just a few small boxes at most."

"Okay. If you need anything, though, just give me a call. I can swing by either place."

"I will. Speaking of that though, getting packed up and out of here won't be that hard, but unpacking all the stuff at my place is another story. I have the furniture that I ordered arriving today and I have to get my cable and internet set up too."

"Seriously, Gail. Just give me a shout. Maybe after shift, if your okay with me revealing it, I can get a couple others to come by and help out too."

Gail considered that, she had wanted Kali to be a surprise she'd reveal when the adoption got finalized next week. On the other hand, she could use the help. And it's not like her friends would be any less happy for her.

"You know Chris, you're right. It's time to let it out. But not Kali, save that part until tonight and I can tell them myself."

"You got it."

* * *

A little while later Chris was out the door and on his way to work. Gail went back into the room she had occupied on-and-off, for the last several years when she had nowhere else. She knew she was ready to be on her own. Knew she had to. Still, it was a bit intimidating. As she gathered the rest of her things that still lingered, her phone rang. She glanced at the Caller I.D. It was Holly.

"Hey there," Gail answered and put the phone on speaker, so she could keep working.

"How's the move going?"

"Well, I'm just packing up the last of my stuff from the apartment now. This is the easy part. Setting up the new place in time before Kali's adoption gets finalized will be the hard part."

"Is it all setting in yet?"

"A bit."

"Don't worry you'll get there. A solid mix of excitement and unsureness."

Just then, Gail realized that it was early in Toronto, which meant in San Francisco…

"Wait a minute, why are you up so early? It's not even 6 yet out there."

"Well, I just wanted to check in on you before your day got too busy."

"Oh. Well, how thoughtful of you."

"Hey, that's me, you know. Always thinking about others. Besides, I have my coffee to get me through the day."

Gail looked over at her mug on her night stand. "You and me both sister." The buzzer for the buildings front door rang from the intercom by the front door.

"Hey Holly, the door bell just went off, let me go check that. I'll call you back."

"Is that what that sound was? Go ahead, that's fine. Or just text me later if you get time. Whatever works."

"Okay, bye Holly."

"Bye Gail."

Gail hung up smiling. She always smiled when she talked with Holly. The bell rang again. "Coming," Gail said to the walls of the empty apartment. She walked to the intercom and pressed the button. "Yep."

A muffled female voice came back at her. "I have a delivery for a Gail Peck. I need someone to sign for it."

"Uh, yeah, okay, Ill be right down." Gail slipped on some shoes and put on a hat since she hadn't done her hair yet. On her way down to the door she kept trying to remember what she had ordered. Nothing was coming to mind. Interesting. She got to the main door and didn't see any delivery truck outside. Or any delivery person for that matter. She began to get an uneasy feeling. Was this some sort of prank?

Se opened the door and looked left and didn't see anything. Then she turned right and froze. There, just out side of her line of sight from inside stood Holly, sipping her coffee.

"Surprise!", Holly smiled after she removed the coffee from her mouth.

Gail remained frozen for a few seconds and Holly just stood there, staring at her with an inviting look on her face. Eventually, Gail shook out of it and leaped at Holly, wrapping her up and spilling her coffee a bit.

Gail was overflowing with emotions. Surprise just began to explain it. When the hug broke Gail realized where the spilled coffee landed. Right on Holly's shirt. "Sorry about that," Gail sheepishly said.

"What?" Holy looked down at the stain. "Oh, don't worry about it. I didn't like this shirt that much anyway."

Gail tried to laugh but she was still trying to fight off being overwhelmed. "H-how? Did you get here? Why?", Gail managed to get out.

"Well, I took a midnight flight out of San Francisco. Travel time plus time change equals me here now. As for why, well, it's kind of hard to work for the O.P.P. from San Francisco."

"The O.P.P.? You what? You're working for them now? Since when?"

"Well, my contract with the job in San Francisco was coming to an end, as you know, and was missing home, as you also knew. Anyway, I put out some fliers back up here, just kind of throwing stuff at the wall, you know? And well, something stuck. It turns out that the O.P.P. happened to have an opening pop up in their forensics department at headquarters. We had some back and forth and they offered me the job which I took."

"That means Orillia?"

Holly, sighed. "Yeah, I know it's not Toronto. But it's only an hour-and-a-half away. That's a whole lot better than San Francisco. But I'll be down here in the City a lot too. And I'm hoping that something will open back up in the city. Either with the O.P.P. or the Metro Police Service. But, on Monday I start up in Orillia."

Gail processed all of that. "You're right. Orillia is a hell of a lot better than San Francisco."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"Uh, do you want to come in? Relax a bit, maybe rest."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. I slept on the flight, but you know how that is."

Gail groaned in agreement with that sentiment and led Holly up to the apartment. "Here we are," she said as she opened the door.

Holly walked in and appraised the place. "This is nice. Plus, that couch looks comfy."

"Yeah," Gail said, "It's not too bad." Feel free to crash there. I'm just going to be in here packing up the last of my stuff.

"I think I'll have to take you up on that." Holly set her coffee down on the table and took her boots off before laying back on the couch and kicking her feet up.

"Holly? What are you planning to do until you start work? Are you going up to Orillia soon?"

Uh, no. I don't head up there until Sunday. I've got a room at one of those extended stay hotels lined up to start that night. Just until I get something more permanent."

"So, you'll be hanging around the City until then?" Gail asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. Reacquainting myself with Toronto and some old friends."

"And you started with me?"

"Yeah, but don't flatter yourself. That's only because you're the only one I knew wouldn't be working right now," Holy smiled making sure Gail knew she was messing with her.

"Oh. I see how it is."

"Yeah, but if you need an extra set of hands today, I might be able to spare some time to you."

"Thanks Holly."

"You're welcome. But if you want me to be of any actual assistance, you might want to let me get some sleep first."

"Oh, yeah. Sleep tight. I'll try to keep it down in here."

"I appreciate it."

Gail smiled and turned back towards her room, then stopped and turned back around.

"Sorry, one more thing. What are you doing Friday?"

"Um, nothing firm, that I know of. We talking about the morning, afternoon, or evening?"

"More-or-less, all day."

"Okay, I'm intrigued. What's going on?"

"Well, there's a wedding and I could really use a plus one."


	49. Chapter 49

Sam was at his desk, shuffling through his open cases. There weren't many of them, but they were all starting to go a little cold. Leads were drying up and he was losing traction with them. He was trying to determine which one he had the best hope of making any legitimate progress on when Oliver walked up.

"Hey Sammy, Epstein called. He and Price are hung up with a couple of their vendors and he said he was going to be late."

"Ah, I figured they'd take a day off to handle all that. To be honest, that was one of the biggest headaches for our wedding; getting everything finalized and confirming with everyone."

"Which is why I told them to take a personal day each," Oliver said. "They'll need it."

"So, I'm riding solo today?", Sam put on a hurt expression.

"C'mon don't give me that. We both know how much of a lone wolf you are."

"You're right, I'll be fine."

"Sure, you will. As long as you're here. If you go out in the field, don't hesitate to grab a uniform though."

"Oliver, you're down a couple patrollers today already with Peck and Price. You don't need me taking another from you to go chase around non-existent leads."

Oliver conceded that point. "You're right brother, I don't. So how about you just take it easy today." He smiled and walked away.

Sam turned back to his folders. He knew he should work on one of them, but faced with another day of minimal progress didn't have him excited. So, he just kept shuffling through them, hoping something would jump out that he didn't notice the previous twenty times he'd read through the cases.

* * *

Around that time, Andy was cruising around. So far, the day had been quiet without much to do. Until dispatch came through the radio again. " _In 15, silent alarm activated at King Jewelers on King. No other reports from the area. Units to handle identify for further._ "

1505 and 1509 responded they'd take it. Andy decided to head that way and be close in case she'd be needed. If not, she'd move on. When she was a few minutes away, Collins' voice came over the radio. " _1505, eyes on at least 2 armed subjects in the store. No customers. Two employees are hostages."_

" _This is 1509, were two blocks away,"_ Marcy said.

Andy grabbed her radio. "15S3, responding as well." She sped up a bit and tried to navigate the traffic as best as possible.

" _1505_ , _10-33 shots fired at police, King Jewelers! Were in cover, negative visual on suspects."_

" _All units responding to King Jewelers, Code One approved,_ " dispatch quickly relayed.

Andy added the sirens to her flashers and sped up a bit more.

About 30 seconds later, " _This is 1509,_ " Chris said, " _we have 2 more subjects running out the back. And entering a green hatchback. Heading east away from here on Adelaide. We aren't with our car to pursue."_

Andy recognized the suspects should be coming right at her based off Diaz's description; she was about to cross Adelaide from the north a couple blocks from them. She stopped just shy of the intersection and waited.

" _Be advised, ETF is on route,_ "dispatch relayed.

Sure enough, a few seconds of waiting payed off, a green hatchback ignored a red light and zipped by her on Adelaide. Andy wheeled around the corner and gave chase. "15S3, I've got visual on green hatchback, in pursuit. Speeds about 45, traffic moderate to heavy. Andy leaned on the horn a few times to move a truck out of the way and continued pursuit. Even with her lights and sirens, navigating the traffic safely was not that easy in her truck. The hatchback however was smaller and could weave in-and-out easier than she could. Plus, the driver was not to concerned with safety. A couple other unites joined in the pursuit and Andy declared herself the primary and had the secondary car call out the chase. That would let her focus solely on driving.

The chase led Andy through a few more twists and turns. It didn't really seem that the hatchback was going anywhere in particular; just hoping that the frequent turns would shake the pursuing cars. That didn't happen and eventually the driver made a bad decision to turn down a dead-end street. Andy led the other squad cars down the street and the driver and passenger bailed from the hatchback, running in opposite directions.

"Secure the Car and take the passenger!", Andy yelled back at the cops behind her. She drew her gun and took off left after the driver who cut down a path way wide enough for a person. It emerged back on a busy sidewalk. Andy saw the suspect about a hundred meters in front of her and she gave chase again, yelling "Police, stop!". Predictably, that didn't have an effect. She could hear more backup approaching so she grabbed her radio to update her position.

As she was doing that, an unmarked cruiser sped past her and turned on the next cross street in front of the suspect, trying to cut him off. The perp, now only about half ahead of Andy as he once was cut right and then diagonally across traffic towards a subway stop kitty corner down the block. The unmarked cruiser took off again, the cop sensing where the suspect was trying to go and got there just after the runner and the plain clothes officer darted down the steps after him. Andy was just clearing the street to the sidewalk about 30 meters from the subway entrance when that happened, and she picked up her pace to close the gap a bit.

"This is McNally, suspect has entered Queen Street stop on Line 1. Plain clothes officer and I are in foot pursuit."

" _Copy 15S3."_

Andy started down the stairs and could hear shouting from down below. She saw people pointing towards the tunnel to the tracks when she cleared the stairs. She hopped hover the turnstiles and ran down the tunnel. As she got closer she could hear the shouting more clearly and couple pick out a familiar voice. Andy rounded the corner out of the tunnel and at the end of the platform was Sam, yelling down the tracks. She caught up to him, "He jump down?"

"Yeah," Sam sighed, "and took off that way," he pointed into the darkness.

Andy radioed in an update. Dispatch would direct units to the next stops in case he popped out there and have the trains stopped on that line.

"Hopefully they get the trains stopped, before he gets run over," Sam remarked.

At the stopped trains comment, the crowd that had gathered around groaned.

"I know, I know," Sam muttered at them. To Andy, "The next stop isn't far on this line."

"But he can't be making that great of time, uneven footing and all," Andy said. "So maybe our guys could get there in time and wrap him up."

"Yeah, that is if he doesn't find an emergency exit and pop back up in between somewhere."

Andy considered what Sam said. "What? You want to down there after him?"

Sam shrugged, "I'm not opposed to it."

"This is 15S3. We're pursuing suspect into tunnel north toward Dundas from Queen."

"There ya' go," Sam hopped down then Helped Andy down. They both drew their guns again and Andy triggered her flash light. Slowly they made their way down the side of the tunnel, careful to avoid the actual tracks, especially the third rail. They found the emergency door, shut.

"What do you think?" Sam asked.

"Oliver's going to kill us for going down here."

"About the door, McNally?"

"Oh, No harm in checking."

Sam nodded and pushed on the handle. The door opened, and Andy shined her light up the access stairs. It was empty and the latch at the top was sealed.

"Clear," she said, and they moved on.

" _TTC … emergency door … Dundas and Queen."_ The signal from dispatch was very choppy. Though, considering how far they were below ground and all the concrete, its amazing they got anything.

We triggered an alarm with the TTC when we opened that door," Sam said, guessing at what the message was trying to say.

Andy tried to get word back that they were the ones that triggered the alarm, but couldn't get through. "Great, now everyone's going to go to that sidewalk hatch chasing a false lead."

"Nothing we can do about that now," Sam said. They continued onto the next stop, Dundas. There were people at the platform, that looked startled to see them. Sam held up his badge. "Has anyone seen a man, black hoodie, about my height, down on the tracks?"

The people shook their heads. Sam moved down the platform and asked another group. Meanwhile Andy got a signal and radioed that they were the ones to trigger the door. She caught back up to Sam who was talking with a group of people down the platform.

"You saw him? And he kept going down the tunnel?"

The woman Sam was talking with nodded. He thanked her and waved for Andy to follow him.

Just then dispatch radioed back. "15S3, TTC reports another emergency door opened. Between Dundas and King this time. Units are on scene there now.

"Roger," Andy said. "That one's not us." They took off down the tracks for a couple minutes and came across a door.

"Not an emergency door, Sam said. See, no push bar. Probably a maintenance door you'd need a key for." They continued on found and did find the emergency door just a few more meters down the tunnel.

"Ready for round two?" Sam asked.

Andy nodded and filled the gap with light and gun after Sam opened the door. Again, it was empty. "What?!" Andy backed out. "It's clear again."

"Maybe he saw the stairs and decided to keep gong to King?", Sam suggested.

"I guess." Andy and Sam continued on and got to the King street platform a couple minutes later. All of the people there had been waiting a while because of the stopped trains. And they all confirmed that they saw nobody.

"Sam," Andy said. "The maintenance door."

"Huh?"

"It has to be. We know he was between Dundas and King but didn't come out at King. And the emergency exit was opened but not used, clearly since nobody is reporting that they caught him up top. That only leaves that maintenance door."

" _15S3, a woman at the Dundas stop is reporting that she talked to the police a few minutes ago. She thinks she saw the suspect again. Only this time he's wearing a TTC shirt and vest, not a black hoodie. She tried to ask him a question and he ignored her, averting eye contact."_

"Copy, we're on our way there."

They took off back down the tracks and this time the maintenance door was open. They looked in side and a black hoodie was discarded on the floor.

"Damnit, we went right by him!", Sam rubbed his eyes.

"We can pick it apart later, Sam. First, let's catch the guy."

"Yeah," Sam conceded. They made their way back to the Dundas stop and the woman waved them over. I saw him I called 911."

"Yes, dispatch told us," Sam said. Do you know where he is now?"

"Oh yes, I watched him go into the bathroom there. He hasn't come out yet."

"Thank you, ma'am, you've been a great help. Please just wait here, we'll need a statement from you," Andy said.

She and Sam walked over to the men's room and knocked on the door. "Metro Police, coming in." He entered gun out, with Andy following suit behind. The room was clear except for a closed stall. "In the stall? Sir? We're the police, we'd like a word with you."

"Uh, … okay? Just a minute."

"Now, sir."

"Jeez what's the rush. A guy can't even use the bathroom anymore?" He flushed the toilet fastened up, and opened the door."

Sam took one look at him and he knew. "It's him." Sam yanked him from the stall and held him against the wall while Andy came behind and put cuffs on him.

"Agh! Wait, I'm who? What are you talking about?" Whatever you think, you got the wrong guy!"

"Uh-huh, sure. Lead us on a chase like that and you don't think I can identify you?"

"What chase? I've been here working!"

"That's your story?" Sam asked as they led him out of the bathroom.

"It's not a story. Officer, you have to believe me, it's the truth!"

Yeah, okay. Just save it until we get back to the station.

"What am I being arrested for?"

Similar protests ensued all the way to the back of a squad car.

* * *

Oliver was waiting for them back at 15. "I heard you two had an adventure today."

"All in a day's work," Sam joked.

"Yeah, about that. I though I told you to take it easy today."

"Right. I was getting bored, and I heard the call over the radio, so I figured I'd head over to help out."

Oliver pondered that. "I suppose it's my fault. I never should have thought I could keep you in the barn all day. Just make this case nice and tidy and I'll let it slide."

"You got it, sir," Andy said. When Oliver left she said to Sam, "He's not as upset as I thought he'd be."

"He's fine," Sam said. "Actually, if he's upset it's not about us. It's days like today, our adventure, that make him miss the blue shirt."

Andy nodded, "What about you. Did today make you miss it?"

Sam looked at his wife "Rounding up drunks, doing tedious grunt work? That stuff I don't miss. But," he took Andy's hand, "riding around with you, catching bad guys, saving the day? That's the stuff I miss, McNally."


	50. Chapter 50

As it turned out, closing the case took some more leg work. The man they arrested in the subway stop bathroom was named Hank Meske. The TTC confirmed he was an employee and would have access to the maintenance door. However, he was not scheduled to be working that day.

The fact that he claimed to be working when he wasn't supposed to be wasn't enough evidence though. He confessed to seeing the hoodie on the ground in the maintenance room and he picked it up to inspect it before returning it to where it was, thinking whoever left it would come back for it.

Sam knew that line was bullshit but he couldn't prove otherwise and now any DNA that was found and traced back to Mr. Meske, he'd have plausible deniability for.

To make matters worse, the eyewitness from the platform couldn't definitively identify Meske from a lineup and none of the jewelry store employees got a good enough look either and said as much in their statements to Nick and Chris.

The second suspect got away from police and got lost in all of the people that were crowding downtown that day. The fact that they didn't get off with any jewelry made their escape easier.

In regard to the escape vehicle, it was meticulously clean. Especially considering it was a rental, there should have been tons of DNA in there. But every surface was wiped down. Not a fingerprint to be seen without tearing the car apart more. And that would take time.

But, Sam was able to get the rental information from the rental company and he and Nick paid a visit to the renter, an Angela Logan. But after knocking and getting no response at her house they were told by a neighbor that she was out of town. In fact, she had just left yesterday.

They asked the neighbor if she knew anything about the rental car and she said she'd seen Angela's brother pick it up this morning. They thanked her for the help and ran down the brother.

It was getting late in the day when Sam and Nick knocked on his apartment door. He opened the door and saw who they were, said "shit" and tried to slam the door. Nick forced the door open and knocked the man over in the process. Sam held him down while Nick put on some cuffs and they called for a transport back to the barn.

Sam got him into interview and the man, whose name was Matt, was visibly nervous. Sam hit him with the fact he'd been in possession of a car that was used in an armed robbery and fled from the police. Apparently, in the interest of self-preservation, Matt wanted to make a deal.

Sam listened to what he had to say. Logan rolled over on his partner, Hank Meske, and detailed the plan. The idea was to get to the same subway stop Meske was arrested at. The jewelry they stole was to be hidden in the maintenance room and Hank would come back for it later. Meanwhile, they'd change into a couple of maintenance uniforms that Hank had previously stashed and then walk out.

It wasn't the worst plan Sam had ever heard. In fact, it may have worked if a couple things went the other way that morning. And maybe if the getaway vehicle couldn't be so easily connected. In the end both Meske and Logan were charged and booked. Sam promised he'd talk to the prosecutor on Mr. Logan's behalf and said the prosecutor would probably offer him a good deal to testify against Meske. It was the best Sam could do, and frankly, the best Logan was going to get.

When Sam got home that night, it was late enough that Andy had fallen asleep on the couch, waiting for him to come home. She must have been really tired because she didn't stir when he came in. However, Boo perked up and came over to the door. He wanted to go out, so Sam took him for a quick walk and when they got back Andy was still sound asleep.

Sam figured she needed the sleep and decided not to wake her. Instead, he draped a blanket over her and he changed out of his street clothes. Then he settled in to sleep in the recliner, next to his wife, with Boo on the floor in between them.

* * *

The next day Dov returned and Sam filled him in on the excitement of the previous day.

"Gee, and here I was signing contracts and paying deposits," Dov said.

"Yeah, did all that work out?", Sam asked.

"Oh yeah, it's all good. It just took a lot longer than we expected. This being my first time and Chloe's only experience being a spur-of-the-moment Niagara chapel marriage, it's fair to say it was a little overwhelming."

"But now that's behind you and you got nothing else to do except look forward to the big day."

"Yeah, I'm just afraid it'll be gone like that," Dov snapped his fingers, "and it'll all just be a blur. You know what I mean, right?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, I do. It will be a blur. At the same time, though, you'll have the memories you create. In each moment, take your own mental snapshots and those you'll be able to cherish."

"Yeah? What's some of yours?"

"Uh, let me see." Sam closed his eyes. "Well, there's Andy finally getting to the Church to walk down the aisle. Oliver's ring mix-up. Oddly enough, my Pop being there. Thanks for that by the way. And our first dance, obviously. Oh, and when I saw Andy looking down at everybody dancing and having fun from Oliver's deck. In that moment, she looked happier than I had ever seen her before that day. That's something I'll always remember." Sam opened his eyes again. "But yeah, you'll make your own. It's really more of an in-the-moment thing. You'll know it's a 'snapshot moment' as it's happening."

Dov nodded, understanding what his partner meant. "Speaking of your Dad, how's he doing."

"Ah…"

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I just figured since he came up I'd be polite and ask."

"uh, no. It's alright. I mean, he's got some problems. He's got to seriously change his lifestyle habits. And in prison, that may not be that easy."

"Doesn't the prison have systems for inmates with health problems?"

"Yeah, they do. But he's stubborn."

"Well, you had to get it from somewhere," Dov said.

Sam conceded that. "You know, he's got another meeting with the parole board coming up. He's probably got a good shot at getting out."

"And then what?"

"I honestly don't know. Sarah will probably want to make sure he's getting the care he needs. And she'll probably want us all to mend the broken bridges between us."

"And you're not ready for that," Dov ventured.

Sam didn't say anything but stared off for a while. When he came back he just shrugged and shook his head. He had no idea. "Look, let's not talk about all this family drama on the eve of your wedding. It's just some pretty depressing stuff."

"Okay," Dov said. So, what's on the docket for today?"

"Well, we have to run the case file from yesterday over to the prosecutors, and talk with them about some leniency for Mr. Logan. After that, it's on to the next one."

"Just another day at the office."

"Yeah. Speaking of," Sam picked up the file, "she's all ready to go."

* * *

Nick had expected Chloe to be talking non-stop, like usual, about the wedding tomorrow and about a million other things. But, instead she was oddly reserved today. Still her happy and cheery self, just not talking as much.

Eventually Nick had to ask, "Everything all right over there? Your half of the car is strangely quiet."

Chloe turned to him and said with a smile, "Yeah, all good. I'm just thinking."

"Oh yeah? About the wedding?"

"Well, duh. But about other stuff too. Like what real married life will feel like. Not what it felt like with Wes."

"Oh."

"Don't tell me you never picture that with Juliet. When are you going to pop the question?"

"How do you know I'm going to?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow at him. "You're kidding, right? There's no way you went all the way to Vancouver after her, came back here with her, and are still together if this isn't serious. You obviously love her. And she's not stupid so she obviously loves you back. So, what's the hold up?"

Nick blushed a little. "Wow, you've obviously thought this through very well."

"Eh, a little. Mainly though, I'm just good at reading you. Remember, I pegged you and Andy, even though you denied it. We both know the truth."

"Okay, you're right. I do love her. I'm just waiting for the time to be right. I wanted to get settled in back here first. Then Dov proposed to you and I didn't wat to come behind and piggyback that. And I don't want to piggy back off the wedding, either. So, I'm going to wait for everything to cool down again and then we'll see."

Chloe was about to respond when dispatch came through the radio. _"In 15, a 27 division unit is on a traffic stop that crossed over to 15. They're requesting a unit to assist. Unit to handle respond for further."_

Nick jumped at the chance to get off the topic of his love life. "1509, we'll back-up the 27 unit." Nick began to navigate over there, in no real rush. When they were still a few minutes away, a frantic, non-dispatch voice came over their radios.

" _2710, 10-33 my partner's been shot! I need help! She's bleeding bad!"_

"That's Wes," Chloe said as Nick flipped the sirens and flashers to full and began responding code 1. Chloe grabbed the radio. "This is 1509, we're just around the corner." Soon, they pulled up next to Wes who was hunched over his partner, Tori Luck, and applying pressure to her neck.

"Stay with me Tori. Stay with me!" Wes was saying. Nick popped the trunk and Chloe raced to the back to get the first aid kit. Nick asked Wes where the shooter went. While Chloe was doing that.

"Green hatchback Toyota with a temp plate and a smashed up back windshield. Occupied one time. Took off down the street and hooked a right at that first light."

"Price," Nick said. "Stay here and help, I'm going in pursuit."

"Nick, you could use backup."

"Chloe, you're getting married tomorrow, and they already shot a cop. I'm not risking it. Help Wes help Luck." Nick got back in the car and took off. Chloe then registered the cacophony of responding sirens and realized he wouldn't be alone. On cue, Nick relayed the information Wes gave him to dispatch and everyone else responding.

Chloe went back to Wes who was pressing gauze to the wound now with one hand and grabbing his radio with the other, yelling, "That's not soon enough! Forget it, we'll transport from the scene."

"Chloe, ambulance is at least 15 minutes out. They had to divert from a major accident across town. We're taking her in our car."

"Yeah, got it," Chloe opened the back door as Wes picked up his fading partner. He laid her down in the back seat and Chloe climbed in the other side and began applying pressure and gauze to the wound that was still bleeding pretty bad. She was having flashbacks to her own gunshot wound to the neck. She didn't remember the incident, but Andy told her that she wouldn't stop talking for the longest time until consciousness faded away. Tori was past that point, and slipping further fast.

As Wes pulled away, lights and sirens, he called the hospital and told them to put him through to the emergency room. "This is Officer Cole, 27 Division. I'm coming in code 1 with a 27-year-old female, P.O., G.S.W. to the neck with fading consciousness and significant blood loss. "We're about 5 minutes out."

Chloe knew about where they were relative to Memorial and thought 5 minutes was pushing it. But Wes stepped ono the gas a little more and Chloe thought that estimate was actually pretty close, now.

They got there in just over 5 intense minutes, and were met outside the doors by a team of nurses and two doctors with a gurney and an array of equipment. They opened the door and lifted Tori out of the back seat and placed her on the stretcher. She was completely out now. They rushed her in and Wes and Chloe followed them all the way until they got to the doors that they couldn't pass. The doctors and nurses rushed her through and Wes and Chloe, covered in blood, watched through the small window on the door until they lost sight as they turned again.

* * *

Meanwhile, a unit from 34 division heard the vehicle description over the wire and was familiar with a vehicle matching it that he'd had run-ins with before. He still had the information in his notebook from the last pullover on it. He pulled up the address that the vehicle is registered at and went over there since it was in 34, although just barely. A block away was a major street that defined the border between 34 and 15. He did a slow drive-by and confirmed that the car was parked in front of the house. Exercising, caution, he went further on down the street and turned down a cross and stopped where he could maintain a visual with the house and car while he called and waited for backup.

Nick was among the group that met up at the house. The group was mostly made up of 34 division officers and some from 27that weren't at the hospital. Nick grabbed the long gun from his trunk and fastened the strap around him. The rest of the assembled officers did the same if they had some heavier weapons. When an officer had already been shot, nobody took any chances. Plus they ran the owner's name through the system and it came back with a felony warrant attached, which possibly explained his actions on the day.

When they were all ready, they made a slow tactical approach, Nick leading due to his military and entry team experience. When they got to the edge of the property the back half of the group broke off and advanced around the back of the house. The lead guy of that group held the back door while the rest formed up behind him. "Back's clear," somebody radioed.

Nick's group formed up behind him and he took a position at the right rear of the hatchback, barrel leveled at the front door. Another took position over the hood and aimed down the front window to the right of the door while another still took position at the left front and aimed down the window to the left.

Towards the back of Nick's group was the original officer from 34 who had a megaphone. "James Casey! This is the Police! Your house is surrounded. Make this easy on yourself and come out slowly with your hands up!"

They waited a few heartbeats and the officer was preparing to give another warning when the front door sprang open.

"Movement at the front door," someone radioed. A man came out with his hands up and squinting at all of the flashlights that were shining in his face.

"That's him," the 34 division officer confirmed into his radio. Back into the megaphone, "Slowly lift up your shirt and slowly turn around in a circle."

Casey complied and had no weapons tucked into his waistband.

"Okay, now turn away from me and walk backwards to the sound of my voice until I tell you to stop."

Again, Casey complied and came to a stop on command.

"No get down on your stomach, ankles crossed, with arms straight out to the side. Slowly."

Casey followed the directions like somebody who'd done them all before, Nick thought. When he was down, Nick stood up and said, "I got cover." Keeping his rifle aimed at the suspect, he watched the two officers who were still behind him come in and handcuff Casey. When that was complete, everybody relaxed a bit and Nick radioed that they had one in custody.

Since the shooting happened in 15, Swarek and Epstein were on the crime scene. 34's people would handle this scene and 27 would probably have a person or two at both since it was their officer that got shot. But for Nick he was done here so he joined in the congratulations everybody gave each other for a safe and successful capture and went back down the street to his car. He locked up the rifle in the trunk and drove back to 15 to file his report.

At the scene of the shooting, the crime scene people had marked off the blood spatter from Luck but that was about it. There was no other evidence of note. The lack of a shell casing probably meant that it landed in the car, or the gun was a revolver. Either way, there was nothing for Sam and Dov to work off of at the scene. But they later got word that After Casey had been arrested and the house and car searched, the officers found a gun, 1 round missing from the mag, and a spent casing on the passenger floorboard. That would be bagged, and ballistics would be run to match it to the slug pulled from Officer Luck.

They went back to 15 and filed their final report for the day and clocked out. Sam was heading home to check up on Andy who had taken the day off to go to a couple of doctor appointments. And Dov went to the hospital to check on Chloe, who was still there. Both of them decided to forgo the bachelor and bachelorette parties due to the events of the day, opting for a peaceful night at home and a good night's sleep.

Dov found Chloe sitting in the waiting room, out of her uniform shirt and in a Metro Police t-shirt. She smiled as he sat down next to her.

"She's out of surgery, but she's still out of it. Stabilized, though, I guess," Chloe said.

"They got the guy," Dov said. "Nobody else got hurt, it went well."

"Good, that's good," Chloe said weakly.

"Yeah, turns out the guy had a felony warrant and I guess he freaked."

"So stupid…"

"Yeah, but it's over now. They have the gun, it'll be matched to the bullet they get from Officer Luck."

"Tori, that's her name."

"Oh, Tori. I didn't know that."

"I didn't either, until I heard Wes saying it today. I don't think I'd ever even met her."

"I did once. Me and Gail and she and Wes were working the same house on Project Accountability."

"I never really talked to her though. Gail and she had some bickering though."

Chloe smiled at that thought but it quickly faded.

Dov noticed and wrapped an arm around her. "Hey, it's going to be okay. You got her here alive-"

"Barely."

"And she's in the best hands possible right now."

"I know, it's not that. Well, not completely that. I'm sitting here worrying like this for a person I didn't even really know. I get she's a fellow cop but still. And I can't help but wonder how bad you felt when I was in there."

Dov considered how to answer. "I tried to keep my cool, and on the outside, I think I pretty much did. But I was a wreck inside. And then Wes showed up and that threw me for another whirl."

"Sorry about that, again. I'm so sorry for all of it."

Dov grabbed her hand and stood her up. "C'mon, let's go home."


	51. Chapter 51

Dov was leading Chloe out of the hospital waiting room when Wes came up to meet them before they left.

"Hey, Chloe. Wait a minute. I just wanted to say thank you for today."

Chloe nodded and tried to smile a little. "Yeah, sure. But anybody would have done it."

"Yeah, of course. But it was you and she's my partner. She's like a little sister to me and when I needed somebody, when she really needed somebody, you were there. If not … we probably wouldn't be here right now. So, thank you."

"You're welcome, Wes. Oh, a bit of advice. When she's cleared, if she's like me at all, she'll be ready and rearing to go. So, don't try to overprotect her."

"Right. Hey, I learned my lesson on overprotection when I lost you. Speaking of, did I hear correctly that you're getting married tomorrow?"

Dov wrapped his arm around Chloe a little tighter and she lit up for the first time in a while. "We are," Chloe confirmed.

"Good, I'm happy for you guys. I'm sure you'll take care of her Epstein."

"I will."

"Alright," Wes said, "I'll let you guys go, you two have a big day tomorrow, I'm assuming."

They said goodbye and wished Luck their best again and finally left to go home for the night.

* * *

Dov woke up that morning in the living room. Chloe, being not one for traditions, surprised Dov when she insisted that they not see each other before the ceremony. So, she took the bed and bedroom, and Dov crashed on the couch. Chris was already up and fixing up some breakfast in the kitchen.

Dov staggered in sat down at the table. "You're up awful early."

Chris set some coffee down in front of Dov and poured himself a cup. "Chloe," he pointed towards her and Dov's room, "she's been up longer than I have. But it's my job to get you to the church on time and in one piece so I figured I should be ready."

"True. And you're off to a great start," Dov said indicating the coffee in front of him and the breakfast being prepared.

Chris scooped some eggs and bacon on to a plate for Dov and said, "Eat up. We have just enough time to get ready and out of here before the girls show up.

Dov didn't need to be told twice.

Meanwhile at the Swarek household, Andy was putting the finishing touches on her look when Sam returned from dropping Boo off at the sitters. It didn't take him long to put his suit on and get ready to go.

The plan was Andy would drive over to Chloe's and he'd get a ride from Oliver and Celery to the church where he'd meet back up with Andy. But, as luck, or the lack there of, would have it, there was a glitch.

Sam's phone rang and it was a number he didn't recognize immediately. "Hello?"

"Is this Detective Sam Swarek?"

"Yeah, who is this?"

"This is Officer Reeves, Hamilton P.D. We've got a bit of a situation down here."

Sam walked into the spare room that doubled as an office, shut the door, and walked over to look out the window.

"What kind of situation are we talking about?"

"It's about your daughter, and her mother."

"What happened?"

"We went to Ms. Cruz's house on a call from her. She said her child was missing."

"Mia! Is she all right?" Sam's heart leaped into his throat.

"She's fine, sir. She was at her daycare. Apparently, MS. Cruz had forgotten that she dropped her off already."

"Okay, so what's wrong?"

"Well, I'm one of the officers that responded, and her house is a complete mess. Junk everywhere. Not garbage, but just stuff. Lots of pictures, paper, files, like that."

"She's bipolar. But she's fine with her medicine."

"Right, about that. When we were looking around the place for your daughter, I saw some medicine bottles on the counter and drew the conclusion that she suffered from Bipolar disorder based on the Prozac and the state of the place. It wasn't a safe place for such a young child and we had to call in Family Services."

"So, Mia's with them and you're giving me a heads up as a professional courtesy?"

"They're on their way. Right now, Your child is still at the day care. According to Ms. Cruz you are a legal guardian of Mia so Family Services will be calling you soon hoping you can take custody of her."

"I appreciate it, officer. How's Marlo?"

"The big problem is we are pretty sure she's off her meds. The prescription was dated two months ago. She had a lot of anxiety, of course, but she didn't show enough signs of a mental break to put her on a 72-hour hold. She understands Family Services is coming in but we haven't told her yet that your daughter can't stay here."

"I understand. I'll start heading down there, then. And I'll expect a call from Family Services."

"I'll let them know you're on your way, Detective."

"Yeah, Thanks again, Officer."

Sam hung up and turned around to see Andy standing in the now open door.

"Sam?"

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Most of it. Sam, what happened?"

Sam sat her down on the bed and took a seat next to her to explain.

* * *

Sam dropped Andy off at Chloe's and called Oliver and told him he wouldn't need that ride before heading out of town. Normally he'd turn some music on but instead he made the drive in silence. Just him and his thoughts. His worries.

This was at least Marlo's second break if it was as bad as Reeves made it sound. Her odds of being allowed to keep Mia were not good, right now. But equally important was figuring out some way that she would stay on her meds and avoid these things from happening before she could begin worrying about getting custody of Mia back.

All of that ran laps around Sam's mind the way down to Hamilton, which was dragged out by heavier-than-usual traffic.

Just outside of Hamilton he took another call from a number he didn't know. The caller identified herself as Lisa Brown from Family services and they arranged to meet at Mia's daycare.

Sam got there about 10 minutes later and pulled in next to a woman in business dress leaning against her car.

Sam got out and shook her hand. "Sam Swarek, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." She appraised his suit. "That's a bit facy for duty. Even for a detective."

"Actually, I was planning on going to my partner's wedding today.

"Oh, I'mso sorry, I wasn't trying to make light of this."

"Nah, it's fine. Don't worry."

"Right. Well, as I'm sure you know, this isn't Ms. Cruz's first break. Her file show one a couple years ago, while on the job in Toronto."

"Yeah, that's when we were dating. It was the beginning of the end but she'd already gotten pregnant with Mia."

"AS I understand it, you share custody and have joint guardianship."

"Yah, but Mia spends most of the time with Marlo. She had a steady job and schedule. It was a better environment for her."

"Sure, sure, I get it. But that isn't the case anymore. Officer Reeves told me he gave you a pretty good picture of Ms. Cruz's residence."

"Yeah, I've seen that before. But she was doing so good for so long after that break. And she had Mia to stick on track for."

"Apparently one of her investigations got out of hand."

Sam sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. When she got a gut feeling she wouldn't let it go. It's helped out before."

"But, not today. Forgive me for saying this if it sounds insensitive, I don't mean it to be," Ms. Brown said. "If she hadn't had the break today and called in the report that Mia was missing, if the police didn't enter her apartment and see everything, it was probably only a matter of time until Mia got hurt in one way or another living there."

It hurt to hear, but Sam knew she was only trying to be honest. And that was more important then trying to protect feelings right now. "So about Mia, what's going to happen?"

"Well, we'll check her out of here today. And then she'll go home with you and stay with you and your wife for a while."

Sam realized he had been rubbing his wedding ring ever since he shook the social worker's hand.

"In time, and after many checks," Ms. Brown continued," we'll make a determination if Ms. Cruz is able to have any custody over Mia. Until then, any contact between mother and daughter needs to be under your supervision. I know this must be a hard, uncomfortable time for you-"

"But Mia's needs come first."

"Good. Then we're all on the same page with everything."

Sam nodded.

"Okay, let's get you your daughter."

* * *

Gail knocked on the door to the Diaz/Epstein/Price apartment and Andy opened up the door.

"Gail, you're a lifesaver for driving today."

"Well, I was on-the-fence, but she convinced me," Gail pointed to her right and Holly stepped out from behind the wall into the door way.

Andy didn't remember her name immediately, but Holly supplied it.

"Holly. That's right. I'm so sorry," Andy said.

"Don't worry about it, I don't think we ever officially met, just in passing."

"So are you back in the City for good?"

"Kind of. Orillia for now."

"Orillia? Are you with the OPP now?"

"Nailed it. Yeah, I'm up there in their forensics division. Just hired actually. Haven't started yet but I'm excited."

"She's not the only one excited," Gail said.

"I bet."

"Where's Traci?", Gail asked.

"I don't know," Andy said. "She called me this morning and said she'd meet us at the church. Something about having to make a stop first."

"Huh, okay then. Should we see if the bride is ready yet?"

"I think she's getting close."

Gail looked at her phone. "Well, I guess we have a little time. And based off the last division wedding, we have plenty of time before it gets too late."


	52. Chapter 52

Gail, Holly, and Andy got Chloe to the Fairmount Royal York in plenty of time. That hotel was the sight of the wedding and reception. As Gail pulled up in front, Holly remarked, "Wow, nice digs." Chloe quickly replied a thank you before being hurried along by Andy, who was eager to keep things going ahead of schedule. Because as she well knew, leaving time for the unexpected was never a bad idea.

Once they reached the main ball room, they both looked around at the impressive design of the room, and how big it was. "Jeez, Holly was right," Andy said. "How did you guys swing this place?"

"Oh well first responders discount, you know. And Frank may have pulled a few strings and cashed in some favors," Chloe said. As if on cue, Noelle walked in the room at just that moment and wrapped Chloe up in a big hug. She did the same to Andy and said, "So, Price, you ready for today?"

Chloe smiled wide and nodded as she looked around the open space at everything. "I'm just picturing this place full of everybody and how that's going to feel." This smile faded a bit, replaced by some uncertainty. "Actually, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, I think."

"That's normal, but don't worry about it," Andy said. "Tonight, you'll be filled with so much happiness that there won't be room for anything else."

"Listen," Noelle said. "I don't know if Nash told either of you, but I almost ran away from my wedding. She and Steve Peck dragged me back and kept me from making the biggest mistake of my life. That's feeling overwhelmed. You're here and excited to get married. You're going to be just fine. Shall we get you to the prep room?"

Chloe smiled and hugged Noelle again. Fighting back a couple tears, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

Noelle led them out of the back of the room and to a split where she turned left and opened up the first door. "The guys are all down there," she said pointing down the hall to the right of where they turned.

"Yeah? Frank too?", Andy asked.

Noelle giggled a bit. "Yep. He was trying to tie his bowtie with some guide he found online. He still can't do it. Anyway, Chloe, you get this first room. Maid of Honor, you get the second." She handed both of them a key card. I'll be right out side if either of you need anything."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll let you guys know when I'm ready to get into my dress."

Chloe and Andy both disappeared into their respective rooms while Noelle went to figure out if her husband had any luck with his tie.

* * *

Sam was heading back from Hamilton, Mia strapped in the back seat, as quickly as he could but traffic was not working with him. He kept eyeing the clock on his dash and eventually admitted he'd be just a bit late for the wedding. He activated his car's hands-free phone system and told it to "call McNally."

A few rings later Andy picked up. "Hey Sam, how'd it go?"

"About as you'd expect. I have Mia and we're on our way, but traffic is, well, you know how that goes."

"So, you're going to be a little late?"

"Well…"

"A lot late?"

"I'm aiming to be there before it's over. How's that?"

"Sam…"

"Hey, it's not my fault. My plan would have had me there around now.

"Yeah, I know. Dov and Chloe won't mind."

"No, of course not. If they ask about me before, just tell them what happened and that we're on our way."

"Yeah, how's our girl doing, anyway?"

Sam glanced in his mirror, back at his daughter. She was smiling and playing with a stuffed zebra. "She's doing good. Happy. She asked about mommy and I told her that Mommy would be busy for a little while and she'd be staying with us. She seemed curious but accepted it."

"Okay, well, we'll be starting here before too long, so I should go. I love you two."

"And we love you McNally. Don't we Mia."

Mia perked up at her name and made an affirmative sounding noise.

Andy smiled on her end. "Drive safely, see you soon."

"Yep, will do."

* * *

Chris and Dov were standing just on the other side of the side entry into the ball room. Dov would walk through there and have a short walk to his side of the altar where he'd wait for the ceremony to start. Chris cracked the door and looked out at the assembled crowd. Most of the chairs were filled, most of the faces recognizable to him. That spoke to how tight-knit their family was. Everyone knew everyone. He even spotted a couple faces he didn't expect but wasn't surprised to see when he saw who they were next to. He didn't bother Dov with it though.

He shut the door and turned to His best friend. You ready, man?"

Dov took a deep breath, made sure his jacket was laying right across his shoulders and asked Chris to check his bow tie one more time. That done, he asked about the rings.

"I've got one, and Andy has the other. Already checked that."

"Good, good," Dov said. I'm ready."

Chris clapped him on the back, opened the door again and said, "Break a leg." He shut the door after Dov walked through and hurried around the hall to the back door where he met up with Andy, ready to walk her down the aisle. He was relieved to see Frank was the only other person waiting.

"The ladies are taking their time," Frank said.

"Yeah, go figure. Is Noelle still back here?"

"Nah, she went up just before you got back. Just McNally and Chloe now."

Chris looked at his watch and then up at the altar. Dov was making conversation with the officiant of the ceremony, which was supposed to be starting right now. Then he heard a door open and Andy and Chloe stepped out of Chloe's room. They both looked great but Chloe, the combination of her always happy self even happier in a beautiful dress on this special day looked breathtaking. Chris made a mental note to make sure he watched Dov as Frank walked his bride down the aisle.

"How's Dov?", Chloe asked.

"He's good, happy. But let's not keep him waiting any longer." He bent his arm for Andy to hook hers through. "Shall we?"

Chris and Andy walked down the aisle to a short but sweet piano piece playing over the speakers. Then they took their places and got ready for the real show to begin. Chis had his attention on Dov when the Bridal suite began to play out, everybody stood, and Chloe emerged from around the corner beyond the ballroom with her arm wrapped through Franks.

Dov's Jaw didn't hit the floor or anything like that. But he had this dumbfounded look on his face for just a couple seconds before replacing it with his wide smile.

"She's beautiful, more so than I could have imagined. And somehow, she's going to be my wife," Dov said quietly to Chris, standing below and slightly in front of him.

When Chloe finally made it to the front and Dov took her hands in his everybody sat back down. Then the officiant began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

* * *

"I, Dov Ezekiel Epstein, take you Chloe, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I vow to hold and cherish you. Love and comfort you. Encourage and support you. In sickness and in health. In struggle or prosperity. Until death do us part."

"I, Chloe Lecia Price, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I vow to be open and understanding. Keeping nothing from you and accepting everything from you. I vow to be there for you when you need me. And, even if you don't I'll still be there. I vow that my love and compassion is yours alone until death do us part. And then, even after.

Chloe reached her hand back to Andy who supplied the wedding band she'd been holding on to. She slipped it on to Dov's ring finger. "With this ring, I thee wed." Dov did the same and slid the ring Chris had been holding onto Chloe's ring finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Then the officiant spoke, "If anybody here this evening can think of any reason these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold our peace." Everyone waited the customary couple seconds. "Then, By the power vested in me by the Province of Ontario, it is my great joy to now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.

As cheers and applause sounded from those gathered, Dov leaned over and kissed Chloe gently before wrapping her in his arms, lifting her up and kissing her much more deeply. When he set her back down, they were both smiling wide, Chris was clapping loudly, and Andy was wiping away her own tears.

"One final time the officiant spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to present to you, for the first time as a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Dov Epstein!" Everybody stood up and cheered the haply newlyweds down the aisle and out of the ball room.

* * *

The ball room was also the sight of the reception so the hotel staff hurried in to move the chairs and altar out of the middle of the floor so the whole space could be freed up. There were already tables set up for dining in the back half and the food was being rolled in in catering carts. But now with the middle of the room open, the dance space had been created. When Dov and Chloe made their way to the head table, they decided to let everybody eat first and worry about toasting after. They had a long night ahead anyway, plenty of time. So as people lined up to get food, most passed back by the happy couple, personally congratulating them. Sam, Andy, and Mia were no different.

Dov stood up and the two partners shook hands and grasped clapped each other on the back.

"Sorry I missed most of that, guys," Sam said.

"Don't worry about it," Chloe said. "Andy told me what happened."

"Yeah," Dov said "I don't know what happened but," he indicated Mia, "clearly it was important."

"Besides you caught the end!", Chloe said. "The best part."

A little later Gail and Holly came up to Dov and Chloe. "Well, well, well. The illustrious Holly Flax has returned. Don't tell me this brought you all the way back," Dov said.

"Don't flatter yourself," Gail said.

"Actually, I took a job with the O.P.P. out of Orillia. And I just happened to back in town now."

"And?", Dov tried to lead her.

"And she's my plus one tonight," Gail said.

" _For life._ Plus one for life," Holly corrected.

Dov looked over at Chloe, surprised that she wasn't as intrigued by Holly's presence. Then it hit him. "Wait, you knew about this too?"

Chloe simply smiled.

"Wow, nobody's telling me anything today," Dov said. "My own wife, nonetheless."

"To take Chloe's side, wow I can't believe I just said that," Gail said, "She hadn't taken her honesty vow yet."

Dov couldn't help but laugh at that a bit. Then he wrapped his arm back around Chloe and pulled her into his chest. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that Gail.

Later still. Traci came up to their table, her plus one beside her. "Bailey?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, that's me," Bailey said.

"Dov stood up to shake her hand and hug Traci. "Forgive her, I just don't think she's seen you out of your ETF uniform before. It's different seeing you when you're not loaded up, ready to go to war."

"Believe me," Bailey said, "It's not the first time I've been told that."

Dov sat back down and said to Chloe, "Finally there's something both of us were in the dark on."

"Actually, everybody was," Traci admitted. Nobody knew about me and Aaron. Not that we're an official couple or anything."

"Naw, we're just two people who enjoy each other's company." Dov couldn't help but notice that Traci and Bailey's hand holding seemed to get tighter at that moment, but he let is slide.

"Really that's so awesome. When did it start I mean, you two hanging out."

"Well," Traci started. "He checked in on me a few times after I got shot."

"And she returned the favor after I got caught in that explosion downtown," Bailey said.

"And we realized we enjoyed doing it and we shouldn't have to wait for one of us to get seriously hurt before we do it again."

"Can't argue with that logic," Dov said. "We're both really happy you two are here. Please, help yourselves to the food and enjoy tonight."

As they walked away, Dov and Chloe both exchanged a moment of knowing looks with slightly raised eyebrows and partial smirks. Then they turned their attention to the next guests that had come to congratulate them.


	53. Chapter 53

Oliver and Celery offered to watch Mia for a while so Sam and Andy could have a little fun together at the reception. They took the offer and shared a couple dances in between socializing. Before it got too late, however, they decided they should probably retire from the reception early and take Mia home. So, Sam went to retrieve her while Andy said goodbye to a few people.

"You sure?", Oliver asked. "We don't mind watching her a little longer. In fact, we've been sharing her with everyone else who came by to visit with her."

"Yeah, she's quite the charmer. Sam looked down at his daughter who was trying to look awake, but he could see the length of the day was getting to her. Thanks for the offer but it's been a long day. All three of us are ready to call it, you know?" Sam said.

"Sure, yeah no problem. Let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks, brother. Since you mentioned it, I'm going to take a personal day tomorrow, so I can get Mia set up with a day care and take care of whatever else comes up."

"Yeah, sure. Just call the desk in the morning and let them know. Good luck."

Sam smiled and carried Mia towards the door out of the ball room and Andy met him there. Together they left the hotel and made their way to the garage that Sam left the truck in.

Inside and on the way home, Sam looked up in the rear-view mirror to find Mia peacefully asleep in her car seat. Andy noticed and said, "Somebody's ready to be home and asleep."

"She's not the only one," Sam said feeling exhaustion creeping up on him.

"So, about tomorrow…", Andy began.

"I told Oliver I'm taking a personal day. I'll take care of everything."

"You sure? I could take it off, or at least take off early and help you."

"I'm not going to tell you I don't want your help, but you don't need to do that. We already have a room for her that's ready. We really just need a day care. Maybe figure out a good pediatrician that's close-by. It shouldn't be too bad. Besides, Epstein's going to Banff and I'm off for the weekend anyway so if I took an extra day its not a big deal. But Price being gone puts Oliver in a jam. He could use you."

Andy considered all of that and felt he was right. "Okay, but you call me if you need anything."

Sam, who had been holding Andy's left and in his right, raised her hand and kissed it. "You know I will."

A little while later at home, Sam and Andy laid Mia down to sleep and shut the door to the spare room that had been dual purposed as an office and a room for Mia when she was staying with them. Andy went upstairs to change while Sam ran Boo outside one more time for the night. When he got back, he found Andy sitting on the edge of their bed, shoes off, but otherwise still in her formal wear. Delayed, she noticed him enter and the curious look on his face.

"Penny for your thoughts?", Sam asked.

"It just dawned on me I think."

"What did? Mia?"

"What? No. Well, not exactly."

"So…," Sam loosened his tie and took his jacket off before sitting down next to her. "Tell me."

"It's just that I know because of our baby, we talked about moving down the road. But nothing had to happen immediately or even before he or she got a little older. But with Mia now, and maybe for a long time, I think we might have to move that timetable up."

Sam looked down for a few moments and nodded. "That's one of the many things I thought about when I was driving down there this morning. Not just the apartment but all the preparations we are going through for this one," Sam laid a hand on Andy's still flat belly, "And now we have Mia to take care of also."

"Sam, don't think I see Mia as a complication. Please-"

"Andy, I know you don't. I know you love her as if she was your own."

"It's just the sudden change," Andy said.

"Yeah, I know. You're not too good with those."

Andy giggled, "But trying to get better."

"Look, we'll be good. If we have to push our future plans up, so be it. We'll make it work. We just have to get to work on it," Sam said. Andy didn't say anything, so Sam said, "Moment of honesty here. I've been wanting to be able to give you and our baby a real nursery to come home to, and I can't give you that here. So, I've been doing a little browsing of the options. Looking at neighborhoods. I didn't want to rush in to anything, so I didn't even think to mention it because it wasn't anything serious. More of just a pass-time for me, really."

"Did you find anything?"

"What?", Sam grinned. "I just said it wasn't serious, I was only looking around.

"Sam…"

"Okay, extra honesty time. I may or may not have a notebook and folder full of information down stairs devoted to this pass-time."

"That should be interesting to browse through. I look forward to you sharing those with me."

"Sure thing." Sam placed his hand on her leg. "But we'll do that tomorrow after shift. Today, we've done enough."

* * *

At parade the next morning, Oliver reminded everybody that they'd be an officer short for the next few days with Price being on her honeymoon. Therefore, there would be at least one extra solo. "Today that honor falls to Peck." Oliver looked over at her in the middle of her row. "Peck, don't get too wild and crazy out there by yourself."

Everyone got a good chuckle out of trying to imagine Gail 'letting loose'. Except for those closest to her, nobody really knew any side of Gail that wasn't all business in her uniform.

Oliver wrapped up with telling everyone to keep the peace and parade broke. Some of the platoon went to the assignments board while others that had already checked it moved out. Gail grabbed the keys to 1505 off the board and making her way out the building to the parking lot when she heard a page from the desk officer calling her to the front. It was not entirely unusual getting paged like that, but it was a little strange that early in her shift. The desk officer buzzed her through the door and he pointed over to the chairs along the wall. "Visitor," he said gruffly.

Gail looked over that way and found Holly walking over.

"Holly? What are you doing here?"

"I can't come see my friend at work on occasion?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. I just wasn't expecting it. I thought you had plans for the day."

"I do, I'm going to the Eaton Centre to do a little shopping. But I decided to stop here along the way because," she reached into her pocket and produced Gail's phone, "you left this on the counter this morning."

Gail took it. "Oh, uh, thank you. Really."

"Don't mention it. Honestly, I'm only here because it's on the way from your new place. Otherwise, I would have made you use your investigative talents and figure out where it was."

Gail smiled a little. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't even realize I didn't have it." Gail had been a bit scatterbrained recently. What with just moving in to her new place and with Kali's adoption being official just around the corner.

"I'm not surprised," Holly said. "It's not like you're a slave to it, anyway."

"Right." Gail gave her a quick hug and said, "I better get on the road."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Stay safe and I'll see ya later."

Gail nodded and watched Holly disappear out the front door before popping her phone on to find a missed call, voicemail, and a text from Lauralee. She read the text first.

' _Hey, you can disregard the call from earlier if you get this. Just wanted to let you know that I got the final documents in today. You can swing by and sign them any time or I could meet you somewhere. Hit me back.'_

Gail sent a reply, ' _Lunch?'_ Then she re-entered the bullpen of the station and went out the back door to the parking lot. When she as going through her prep check she head her phone ding. Lauralee replied back.

' _Got a place in mind?'_

' _There's a sushi place downtown I've been wanting to try,'_ Gail offered.

' _Sounds great! Shoot me the address and a time.'_

Gail looked up the address and sent it to her along with a suggestion of noon and got an affirmative back from Lauralee.

She was happy. Once she signed these papers, the adoption was all but official. Given that it wasn't the weekend, the process wouldn't be officially complete for a couple more days, but this was the last thing to do. With that peace of mind, she radioed her prep check was complete and that she was 10-8.

* * *

At about that time, Dov and Chloe were just clear of security at the airport and were making their way to their assigned gate for a flight to Calgary. From there, they'd rent a car and make the short drive west to Banff. Once there, they would do any number of the almost limitless tings to do in a resort destination like Banff was. Aside from arranging a place to stay on Airbnb, they had decided to fully wing the rest of their stay, doing whatever they felt like, whenever they felt like it.

Dov wasn't as comfortable with that approach as Chloe was, but she did let him arrange the flight and the Airbnb, so he took what he could get and knew that as long as he was Chloe, he'd be happy. Even, if he had to leave his comfort zone a few times. Or many times.

On the plane, Dov was in the middle seat while Chloe got the window. Now was the first wild card of the trip. Who'd have the aisle. Somebody that would sleep the whole flight, maybe listen to music or read. Or would it be somebody that would want to strike up a conversation or ask it you were going to eat our peanuts when you were unsure about that yourself.

As it would later turn out, Dov and Chloe couldn't have very well drawn up a better person to share a row with. Initially the man, whose name was Roy, only said "Hi" when he sat down. But as the flight went on, he must have noticed the wedding bands both Dov and Chloe had on because he asked the obvious question. From there their conversation discussed them being on their honeymoon and revealed that Roy was actually flying back home to Calgary after attending his daughter's wedding that also happened yesterday. They all made and acknowledged the "small world" cliché and Dov thought the conversation might have been over.

But before Roy indicated his own wedding band. However, instead of having a wife to sit next to at the wedding, he related to them that she died from a cancer, three years earlier. And while they had been married nearly 40 years, it wasn't nearly enough.

Roy made it clear, though, that he wasn't trying to depress Dov or Chloe or trying to evoke any sympathy from them. He simply wanted to provide what little wisdom he could. That being to never take a moment or an opportunity for granted with each other. Not to waste time or say you'll do anything later. Because you'll never know when you won't have a later.

To Dov and Chloe, that carried a lot of meaning. First of all, because of the time they wasted broken up over the Wes situation. Secondly, and quite importantly, was their profession, which Roy didn't even know about. When they both show up to work, there is never a guarantee that they will make it home. This was also personally exemplified by Chloe's near-death scare.

Sure, it's easy to say Dov and Chloe already should have known all of this and had been told similar nuggets of wisdom many times. But something about a man just passing through, whom they'd never see again, passing on his life lessons to them meant a lot to them.

When the flight landed in Calgary, Roy wished them both a happy honeymoon and a happy life together as a couple. They thanked him, and he let them out in front of him as they de-planed. As they walked down the aisle, Roy laid a hand on Dov's shoulder. He turned his head back and Roy whispered just loud enough for Dov to hear, "And maybe the most important thing I can pass on is this. It never hurts to keep the wife happy."

"With all of that in mind, Dov left his uneasiness about the lack of a plan at the door of the plane. From the second he entered the jet way, he was completely comfortable and happy to be approaching this adventure Chloe-style.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the City, Gail was sitting down for lunch over sushi and adoption paperwork with Lauralee. As she talked Gail through each of the documents, she was getting happier and more relieved with each signature. And when Gail signed the last one, it was as if a massive weight had been removed.

"And we're done. I'll go ahead and get the processing on these started," Lauralee said. "It's bad timing with the weekend and all but hey, at least it's over. Basically."

Gail tried to find the words but couldn't. She was overflowing with many emotions. Some she was pretty sure she'd never felt before and didn't know how to process that. Eventually, she allowed a couple tears to come. After all, she'd let herself be vulnerable in front of Lauralee before so there was no tough girl persona to maintain.

After Gail composed herself enough to talk, she opened her mouth to say something. She was hoping for something more profound than "wow", but that's what came out.

Lauralee smiled, "Wow, indeed."

Gail was still feeling a rush of emotions all positive when dispatch came over the radio on her shoulder and changed that.

' _All units in 15 and city-wide. Active shooter at 220 Yonge street. No further information. All unites code 1.'_

Gail spring up and said, "I got to go."

"Yeah, of course, be safe," Lauralee had obviously heard the call-out from across the table and knew where Gail was running off to abruptly.

What she didn't know as she watched Gail through the window of the restaurant jump in her squad and tear off with lights and sirens was that 220 Yonge street wasn't just another place to Gail. Not today.

220 Yonge Street is the address for the Eaton Centre. And today not only was that a sure to be super busy shopping mall, it was also, as far as Gail knew, where Holly still was.


	54. Chapter 54

Gail joined up with the parade of emergency vehicles heading to Eaton Centre and tried to remain calm. She'd tried calling Holly but hadn't gotten a response.

By the time she got on scene, Team One was already there and prepping to go in. Gail took up a spot on the perimeter and helped with the crowd control. Every bone in her body wanted to go in there and fix the problem. But she knew she knew ETF was best equipped to handle this situation, they've proven that many times over. And Team One was the best of the best. Still, she set a text to Andy to tell her about Holly and asked to keep her posted on what was going on.

Meanwhile, in the back of the ETF command truck, Bailey was getting the rundown from the head of security, whose name was Raines. They were looking over digital copies of the building schematics and Raines was pointing out where the shots were heard to be coming from.

"Do we have any confirmed or reported victims?", Bailey asked.

"No, Sergeant, my guys tried to get containment set up. We hadn't executed any searching before the officers got here."

Bailey directed his attention to Andy, who was also in the command truck doing her best to coordinate the efforts of the patrollers, at least until someone superior showed up on scene. "Sergeant McNally, what's your status?"

Andy cleared her throat and stepped up, into the discussion. "First officers on scene began holding everyone who was fleeing the building. We think we got everybody, at least that came out the main doors. Its possible, in fact probable, that people got out other ways. Especially before we got here and before the security got their containment and evac system set up. Right now, we have officers on all the exits and are trying to determine if anyone in the crowd that came out has any good information."

Bailey, nodded. "That's good, keep me posted on that. I'm going to need some uniforms to assist with escorting people out of areas we cleared."

"Of course, just say when and where and I'll send them in."

"Alright, we're ready to go in." He stepped outside and briefed his team. "Brooks, you're in the truck. Send us anything that's relevant. The rest of us are breaking into teams of two and grid searching. You all know the drill so let's get it done." They divided into three pairs and made entry inside. Andy watched that happen then returned to the command truck with Brooks to listen to the coms.

"You get this duty a lot?", she asked the ETF Officer.

Brooks nodded a bit. "More so than the rest of the team. But that's because I'm good at this tech stuff. But the boss tries to change it up every so often so we all get some experience doing everything the team does."

Andy, never having any advanced tactical training, always assumed each operator had their part and they played that each time - best person on each job. But, now that she thought about it, the cross-training they all went through prepared them to do every job. And to keep that cross-training effective, they had to do every job in the field, in real life.

The three pairs, designated as Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams all reported that they had reached their assigned start points and were beginning their sweeps. Before long they were clearing areas and sending out civilians with police escort. But as more and more time went by, they had no shooter or victims. Finally, Bravo team, which was made up of Bailey and a woman named Reed, made it to the believed general vicinity of the gunshot. _"This is Bravo, we're at the hotspot, no joy."_

"No joy?", Andy asked Brooks.

"It means they have no sight of any suspect. It's just field jargon."

" _Alpha team, we just got done with our sweep. We'll join you,"_ said officer Bauer. He was the team's tactical expert.

" _Copy Alpha."_ Then a minute or so went by before Bravo got on the radio again. _"Alpha, what's your ETA?"_

" _Seconds away."_

Soon after, Bailey said, _"Alpha and Bravo making entry into second floor, west side bathrooms."_ After about 20 seconds, Bailey got back on again, _"We're clear here, with a DOA._ _Late 20s early 30s female, 2 GSWs to the back. Alpha's holding the scene, Bravo and Charlie will continue sweep."_

* * *

Within 15 minutes, the rest of the shopping center was cleared with no further victims were found. No apparent shooter, either. Once all the remaining civilians cleared out, Team One came out. Medics came up to tend to anybody who needed attention for something. The good thing was nobody had anything worse then some labored breathing due to anxiety and such. Bailey led his team back to their trucks and they stowed their rifles and helmets away. With the incident over, there was no need for them.

Then Bailey went over to the command truck and ran over what happened with the group there, which now included Shaw, who had arrived on scene after Team One made entry. They shook hands and Oliver commended Bailey on his team's quick response and efficient action.

"I just wish we could have caught the shooter," Bailey lamented.

"Yeah, well from what McNally told me," Oliver jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards his Road Sergeant, "there a good chance he was already gone before we got here."

"He?", Bailey asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Brooks, McNally…" Oliver waived them up and they joined the two sergeants. "They just got a good subject description and maybe even found him on a camera."

"Alright, at least we got something."

"Yeah, a couple different people gave the same general description, they identified themselves being close to where we think the shots came from."

"The west corner near second floor bathrooms," Bailey supplied.

"Right. They said we have a Caucasian male, about average height, a little heavy. Dark jacket over a white shirt and dark jeans. Black cap with a white logo on it, backwards. They weren't sure what the logo was," Andy said.

Brooks lifted up his tablet, "Raines got us access to the cloud where all the security footage gets backed up too and we found this guy." Brooks flipped his tablet around towards Bailey and slid through a couple still shots of a guy matching that exact description fleeing out of the corner where the bathrooms were, but not with the flow of people. Instead of heading for the closest exit or way to the main exit, he was making his way back through one of the department stores and out a far exit. One that wasn't yet locked down. "Unfortunately, he kept his head down but we have a program cross-referencing with CCTV cams in the parking lot and the streets looking for the guy."

"I have Nash and Ward coming down. They're taking this one. They should be here soon, shouldn't keep you guys waiting too long, Oliver told Bailey."

"Sure, sure. Good work guys," he told Brooks and McNally and Brooks followed him back to the rest of Team One gathered around their SUVs.

Oliver patted McNally on the back. "You did good today, running all this."

Andy dismissed that. "Please, you wouldn't believe how relieved I was when you got here. I was much more comfortable chasing down leads with Brooks."

"Well, that's just because you're a good copper. You'd rather be investigating then bossing. Believe me, I get that. A lot of days, I wish I didn't have to put on the white shirt. I miss rolling around in a squad looking for action."

"If its any consolation, the blues miss you too. But, I wouldn't want anybody else as my Staff. And the rest of the platoon feels the same way."

"I know. And honestly, that's what gets me through those days. Anyway, I think we can tone down the presence here. Let's get statements and get these people out of here. Free up some officers from the perimeter to get back on the street."

"Yes sir, we'll get it done." Andy pulled out her phone and saw she had a bunch of notifications she missed. Several emails and random stuff but two text messages. One from Sam and Gail each. She swiped open Sam's.

 _'Saw the news. Call me when it calms down. Love you.'_

Andy smiled and made a mental note to call him before long. Then she went to Gail's text message and read it. Then read it again to make sure she understood it. Then she went to find Bailey to get more information on the DOA female.

* * *

Gail was watching the doors for the groups of civilians that were being escorted out. So, she had a good feeling when she saw a huge group come out at once that the incident was cleared. That theory was confirmed when she saw ETF exit the building behind them. She stole a glance at her phone and had no reply from either Holly or Andy. She was trying to control her anxiety over the situation. She knew the odds of Holly being harmed by the incident were not high but, nevertheless, the worry persisted through the minutes until she got a text from Andy. _Just saw your text. Pulling you from the perimeter, come to command center._

Gail felt her breath catch. Andy had something, she knew it. Gail didn't quite run but was definitely blurring the lines between a fast walk and a jog on her way to the command truck. Andy saw her and turned towards her. "Gail…"

"Just tell me," Gail said.

"Okay, no leadup. It's not Holly. I don't know where she is. But there was only one fatality and no other serious injury. And the DOA isn't her. It's a female, right general age group, but she has blond hair."

Gail felt a weight come off of her. Now she was just confused about why she hadn't heard from Holly.

"You're sure she was here?"

"She said she was going to be," Gail said. "But I don't know for certain."

"Okay, well, at least there's no reason to believe she was harmed."

"Yeah, Thanks, Andy."

"Sure thing. Why don't you get back on patrol, if you want to. We're good here."

"Okay," Gail nodded. She walked away back towards her car. But stopped about halfway there. She had a thought. If Holly was here, and unharmed, she'd be trying to help. Gail decided to take a swing by the medical tents, just to check if they had seen her.

As it turned out, she didn't even have to ask anyone because she found Holly outside a pop-up tent, helping someone with some breathing exercises.

"Holly…", Gail said.

Holly turned her head and stood up, "Gail-"

Before she could say anything else, Gail wrapped her in a quick hug. "I tried calling you, but you didn't answer," Gail said.

"About that, I don't know where my phone is. It's somewhere in there," Holly said, meaning the mall.

"I had it out but then everything got crazy and I was trying to help. I don't know what happened to it."

"It's okay, as long as you're okay."

"I'm good. But I appreciate the concern."

"Yeah, well, I'm heading back out on patrol. I was on my way to my car when I thought I'd take a look over here. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find you playing doctor."

"Yeah, it's nice to have living patients for a change. Once I told the medics here I had a medical degree, they were eager to have me help out. So that's what I'm doing."

"Okay, then. I'll see you around."

"Yeah, you will," Holly said.

Gail made it back to her car just as an unmarked unit carrying Detective Nash and Officer Ward pulled up.


	55. Chapter 55

A/N: Hey everybody. I hope all are well. I apologize for the time away but i had some family stuff come up and it kept me pretty busy. Also, this was a transition point in the story and this case is the beginning of a long-form arc and I wanted to make sure I had it all sort of planned out ahead of time so I don't box myself into anything. Therefore I decided to take a hiatus to get all my "ducks in a row". Anyway, I'm happy to be back and to keep _15 Lives On_ rolling.

Peace.

* * *

An officer still manning the crime scene perimeter held up the police tape as Traci and Juliet walked under it, holding up their badges. Oliver met them on the other side and escorted them over to where Bailey and his team were, filling them in along the way. When they made it over to Bailey, he took over the escort and led them into Eaton Centre and to the bathroom where the victim was discovered.

"By the time we mobilized and made entry, we're pretty sure the shooter was already gone. Our sweep turned up one vic. Female, late twenties or early thirties. She didn't have any wallet or I.D. Phone was gone, too." They reached the bathrooms and bailey continued as they walked in. "We have a person of interest we have on camera, but no I.D. on him yet. We're working on it, though."

"Thanks, Sergeant," Ward said.

"Yeah, we'll give you a call if anything comes up," Traci added.

Bailey nodded, "Sure thing. Any time." With that, he left the two with the forensics team that had begun processing the scene. The tech closest to them gave Traci and Juliet an acknowledging nod.

"Detective Nash and Officer Ward, Guns and Gangs," Traci introduced them.

"James," the forensic tech said. "Can't tell you too much. Two GSWs to the back seem to be the cause of death. No shell casings that we've found, but we'll keep looking."

"Recover the slugs?", Juliet asked.

Actually, they're still inside of her. No exit wounds."

"Likely hollow points," Traci said, a little surprised. This was starting to look less random, and more targeted. Definitely not amateur, either.

That would be my guess," James said. "We'll have a caliber and more detail on that once we get her on the slab."

"Are you thinking this was professional?", Juliet asked Traci.

"Can we see the body?", Traci asked James, not answering Juliet.

"Sure." James led them the couple steps over to the body, which was covered by a yellow, plastic sheet. Tracie and Juliet were careful to walk in the tech's footsteps, not wanting to risk contaminating any part of the crime scene. "We didn't find any I.D. on her. Given the attention on this, I went ahead and put in for a rush on the DNA. Still, it'll take 48 hours or so." He bent down and peeled back the tarp, revealing the face of the deceased.

"Oh my god," Juliet gasped.

"You know her?", Traci asked.

Juliet gathered herself. "Yeah, to a degree. Her name's Tammy. She'd been informing for me."

"Great, then we have her information."

"Actually, we don't. I never carded her, and we ever met anywhere I can trace back."

Traci understood that. Swarek had numerous C.I.s when they were partnered that were never in the system. Traci, herself, always wanted to do things officially. But she hadn't done undercover work the way both Swarek and Juliet had. She didn't know what that life was like behind enemy lines. So, she accepted that some cops wanted to protect their informants.

"Well, at least we have something," Traci conceded. Turning to the tech, "Thanks James, let us know anything that develops."

"Of course, Detectives."

Leaving the bathroom, Traci led her partner over to an empty area of the hallway, away from all the officers and crime scene people on scene.

"What was Tammy informing you on? Who was she with?"

"She wasn't with anybody. But her brother is hooked up with the Irish."

The Irish. The last time Traci dealt with them her life basically fell apart and had to be rebuilt. A corruption scandal rocked through the Service and got her then boyfriend Steve wrapped up in it. After that, it took Traci awhile to dig out of her funk. On a professional note, She and Swarek were able to nab corrupt police commissioner Santana, with the testimony of Steve. Now they, along with a few other dirty cops were behind bars for aiding the Irish mob. As far as Aiden Kelly goes, he's still free. He never dealt face-to-face with Steve or anyone else, and therefore fall guys in the outfit took the ride.

"How involved, Ward?"

"From what she was telling me, very. We had only met up a couple times, though. I don't have much concrete."

"But you have the name, and a file started, obviously."

"Yeah."

"Okay then, let's get back to the barn and take a look."

* * *

When they got back to the office, Traci's desk-phone was blinking, meaning she had a voicemail. She picked it up and punched in her code to access the message, it was from Bailey. They were still following up on the person of interest and found him leaving a parking garage attached to Eaton Centre on a city CCTV camera. They ran his plate and just got an address back. Traci hung up on the voicemail and called Bailey back.

"Sergeant Bailey," he answered.

"Hey Bailey, it's Nash. I just got your message."

"So, you know what we know. Car is registered to a Florence Keller. You want to pay her a visit?"

"Yes, shoot me the address."

"Will do, see you there, detective."

Traci hung up and told Juliet what was going on.

"You go ahead, I'll stay here and start going through my file on the brother. Liam is the only name I have for him right now. Hopefully we'll find some next of kin for Tammy that can helps identify Liam.

"Yeah, hopefully. You sure you don't want to go."

"I mean, if he's there you'll just bring him back anyway. I'll talk to him then."

"Okay, good luck with the file."

Juliet simply nodded and dove back in to reading her own notes.

* * *

Traci rendezvoused with Bailey down the block from the target house. "Florence Keller, what do we know about her?"

"She's 64 and divorced. No record, really. Just a couple of speeding tickets. Her son, Nathan, lives with her. He's 27, pretty clean, too." Bailey pulled up a still from the CCTV footage as well as a yearbook photo of Nathan. The photos were several years apart but they seemed to be of different people.

"I did a drive-by of the house on the way here," Bailey continued, "and didn't see the car."

"Well, I don't know about you," Traci said, "but I'm ready to get over there."

"I'll lead the way," Bailey got back in his truck and triggered his headset. "Bravo, Alpha's moving in.

" _Copy, no change here. Moving to the back."_

With bravo moving their SUV from kitty corner to the back of the Keller residence Bailey and Traci parked their vehicles right in front of the house. Traci went up to knock on the door, but given the circumstances, Bailey stepped in front and knocked first. "Metro Police ETF. Bailey knocked again before he heard footsteps approaching. Both he and Traci put had their hands on their holstered weapons, just in case.

When the door opened, an older woman stood on the other side, she seemed completely caught off-guard by their presence. "Can I help you, officers?"

"Sergeant Bailey and Detective Nash," Bailey introduced them. Are you Ms. Keller?"

She nodded, "I am. What's this all about?"

Bailey and Traci relaxed a little bit but still were aware of everything going on. "Ma'am, is that your car in the driveway?", Traci asked.

"Yeah, why? Is there something wrong with it?"

"We're just trying to narrow things down," Traci said. "We got your car on CCTV but a young man was driving it."

"Oh, well, sometimes my son, Nate, drives it. But he's been home all day."

"May we come in ma'am?", Traci asked.

Before Ms. Keller could respond, a young man bolted down the stairs behind her and disappeared around the corner, probably to a back door.

Bailey grabbed his radio as he and Traci pushed into the house after him. "Subject's rabbiting out the back!"

" _Copy, we have a visual. He just hopped a fence into the alley, we're pursuing,"_ said one of Bailey's cover team members.

When Traci and Bailey made it too the back yard, they could hear the ETF SUV driving past them and down the alley to their right. Then they heard a small thud, a loud grunt and the SUV braking.

Bailey and Traci cleared the fence and saw the suspect was in custody. They jogged over to the action as one of Bailey's team members stood up the runner, who they recognized as Nathan Keller.

"Good grab, guys", Bailey said.

"It was all Shelby. As I pulled even she popped her door and bumped him enough to knock him down. Then she hopped out and had him cuffed before I even made it around from my side," the other ETF member, whose name was Caleb.

"What do you guys want with me? What's with all the S.W.A.T. cops?"

"We were just going to ask you some simple questions, maybe bring you back to the station with us to look at some photos but then you ran, so now you're being detained," Traci told him. You're not under arrest now, but I'm going to read you your rights, so we can ask you some questions."

That done, Traci asked if he still wanted to answer any questions, which he reluctantly assented to.

"Where've you been today?", Traci asked.

"Nowhere. Uh, Here. All day."

"I assume you heard about what happened earlier at Eaton Centre?"

"I mean, yeah. Everyone has, it's all over the news."

"Okay, so can you explain how your mother's car was at the scene when she tells us only she and you have access to it? And we know she wasn't driving it.

"Ah, damnit. I may have let someone else borrow the keys today."

"May have?" Bailey asked.

"Fine, fine, I did. But I wasn't driving it today. And so what? there were a ton of people and cars there today. You can't possibly know this is related to that.

"So, why'd you run?", Traci asked.

Nathan didn't answer. Instead he said, I want to talk to a lawyer."

"Okay then, we're done here." Traci turned to Bailey, "Hold him here, I'll call for a transport to pick him up."

"The mother?"

"I'll talk to her, too," Traci said. She decided she didn't want to climb back over the fence, so she walked back to the end of the alley and back around the block to the front of the house. Ms. Keller was watching her approach from the front porch.

"You guys are taking him in?"

"I'm afraid so, at least for some further questions. He's requested a lawyer, so we'll get him set up with that down at 15 Division."

"He's a good boy detective, he just has some questionable associations."

"Oh, really? Like who?"

"I don't know most of their names. In fact, I only know one. They've been friends since school, but Liam's always been a bit of a trouble maker. He'd wind both of them up in detention and I always thought he was a bad influence on Nate, but my son didn't have many friends. I overlooked it as childhood shenanigans, you know? Now I don't know for certain, but I think he's involved with some bad people, and I worry that's rubbing off on my boy."

"I understand ma'am, but I think he knows information that can help us, and he's not telling us, yet. And this Liam? Do you know a last name?"

"McQuinn. Liam McQuinn."


	56. Chapter 56

Back at 15, Traci popped in the Guns and Gangs office to find Juliet typing on her computer. Traci sat down at the desk across form Juliet and said, "We picked up Nate Keller. He bolted on us but didn't make it far. He's being prepped for interview now. I thought you might like to join me."

Juliet sighed and looked up from her computer. She grabbed a folder from the other side of her desk and handed it across to Traci. "This is the file I had on Tammy. At least that's what she said her name was, I guess we'll find out soon when the lab results get back."

Traci opened it up and fanned through it. It had limited information inside, it seemed Tammy was not comfortable enough to come completely forward with Juliet. Numerous mentions of her brother, Liam. She was convinced that he was in trouble, being forced into things she knew he wouldn't want to do. But no specific details to go on.

"Not much here," Traci remarked before handing it back to her.

"Yeah, I know. I was just starting to build a connection with her, someone she felt she could trust. Now she's dead, and I can't help but feel it's my fault somehow."

"C'mon, don't do that."

"I pushed her," Juliet continued. "I kept trying to push for a little more information. On her, on her brother. And what do I have to show for it? A couple of pages in a file." She threw the slim folder down on her desk. "I probably don't even have their right names."

Traci had no idea how much Juliet was beating herself up over this. "Don't be so sure. We might have a lead. Nate Keller's mom told me that he hangs around with a guy named Liam McQuinn who has always been a bit of a trouble maker. Not serious stuff, but still…" Traci entered the name into her computer as Juliet got up and walked around the desk, so she could see the screen as well. "What do ya know? Liam's got a record. Petty theft in 2014, no current address."

They both looked at the mugshot. Both of them recognized him as the driver from the CCTV stills from Eaton Centre, and Juliet thought he resembled Tammy to a degree. "Any listed relatives?", Juliet asked.

Traci scanned through his file and saw two parents listed. She copied down their names and ran a search for them in the system to get their address. "I don't see a sister mentioned, we can check with the parents." She picked up her desk phone and called the duty sergeant. "Hey, it's Nash. I have a Nathan Keller in interview. Has his consul showed up yet?" … "Alright, I'm heading out for a bit, call me on my cell if the lawyer shows. Put him back in holding for now."

Traci stood back up and grabbed the address, "Let's go talk to Liam's parents. Another benefit of an overworked public defender, they won't be here for a while."

* * *

Traci and Juliet pulled up kitty-corner to the listed Keller residence in Corktown. Juliet had called on the way and the Keller's were expecting them. They asked what it was about and were not surprised when Juliet said it had to do with their son. They crossed the street and climbed up the short porch to the front door. Apparently, the McQuinn's were watching out the front window because the door was opening before they cleared the last step. A gentleman, maybe in his fifties, met them and they could see a lady of the same age behind home and to the right, a bit.

"Mr. McQuinn? I'm Officer Ward. This is my partner, Detective Nash."

"What'd Liam do now?", Mr. McQuinn asked, not really acknowledging the introduction.

"Well, at this point we're still trying to piece that together, if he did anything wrong at all. May we come in?" Juliet asked.

He stepped aside and motioned them in. As he shut the door behind them he said his name was William, and his wife was Susan. "Come into the living room, we can talk in there." Traci and Juliet were invited to sit on an aged but still well-cushioned couch, while William and Susan McQuinn each sat in a leather chair across from them.

"When was the last time you spoke to or saw your son?", Traci asked.

The McQuinn's shared a look of their own before Susan sighed and said, "We don't see him anymore."

"He left when he hit eighteen," William said. We didn't always see eye-to-eye with each other but he was our son, you know? We tried to work things out. But when he walked out, we made it clear that he was burning the last remains of a bridge between us. And he just kept walking."

"I'm sorry to hear that. That can't be easy to live with."

William nodded, "It wasn't, for a while. Then he got picked up for theft and I bailed him out, told him this was his last chance. What did he do? He threw it away and went back to the same crowd. So, I we," he said indicating Susan and himself, "cut him off. It's been hard on Fi, but I think not having his influence around will help her in the long run."

"I'm sorry. Who's Fi?", Juliet asked.

"Fiona, our daughter. She's four years younger than Liam," Susan said.

"Do you think she might know how to get in touch with Liam?", Juliet followed up.

"No." William quickly said, sternly. "She hasn't spoken to him or seen him since we last did. When we cut him off, we did so completely. Now, officers, what is all of this about? I don't know what you think he did, but we have no way to contact him. Believe me, we'd help if we could. But don't go bringing Fiona into this. She doesn't need that."

"Well," Traci began, "If you've heard the news today I'm sure you're aware there was an incident at the Eaton Centre today and we have reason to believe that Liam may have been there."

"You mean were that person was killed?", Mr. McQuinn asked. "Look, for what ever Liam is, he's not a killer. He doesn't have that in him. Even if he was there, I can't see him being involved in that."

"Well, we don't know that it was him. But we have enough circumstantial evidence indicating he was there that we would really just like to talk to him." Juliet said. "It could very well be that it is like you say, and he was just there and not involved."

"I may know of a way," Susan said.

"What?!" William blared.

"Bill, if I can help the police, and maybe help Liam out in the process, I have to."

"I'm not disputing that, Susan. But what do you mean you might have a way to reach him."

"It's actually not me," Susan conceded. "It's Fi. She has a burner account on Facebook where she's friends with Liam."

"Are you kidding me? How long have you known about this? And when were you going to tell me?", Mr. McQuinn was clearly getting upset.

"Not for too long. I think she just created the account fairly recently."

"Look Mr. and Mrs. McQuinn," Traci said, "We don't want to step all over any family situation but it's very important that we talk with Liam and if Fiona can help us, then it's our best bet."

"Well, go ahead," William said. "we might as well help them if Fiona got herself messed up with him. I just can't believe it."

"If you come with me, I'll get my phone and get you her contact information. She led them to her office down the hall where her phone was charging next to her laptop. She unlocked it and pulled up her contacts. Then she scrolled through and tapped on one. She handed the phone to Juliet who held it while Traci pulled out her notebook to scribble down the number. As she did, the two officers noticed the picture that Susan had with the contact. It was Tammy. Neither one of them betrayed anything but they both knew. Fiona and Tammy were one and the same. The realization hit Juliet in the stomach, but she kept a straight face. Before they informed the two parents of the tragedy, Traci wanted to confirm the identity and she had an idea on how to do that right now.

"Ward, can you take Mrs. McQuinn back to the living room while I step out and take a call quickly?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, it shouldn't be too long." Traci walked out to the porch and dialed up the evidence room at 15. The tech on duty picked up and Traci asked her if there was a phone found on Tammy. The tech grabbed the evidence box and then relayed that there was indeed a phone found.

"It's an iPhone. Locked, but with plenty of juice left."

"Okay, I'm going to hang up and call a number. I think the phone your holding will be the other end of that call. Write down the number that called it and then I'll call you back and if I'm right you'll have my number written down." Traci hung up and dialed the number. It rang through to voicemail and she hung up again and called back the evidence tech. Sure enough, Traci had just called "Tammy's" phone. "Thanks, Traci said. You've been a great help. We just identified the victim."

Traci went back inside the house and returned to her previous seat on the sofa and nodded at Juliet.

"When's the last time you talked to Fiona?", Traci asked.

"Yesterday afternoon," Mrs. McQuinn said. "We try to talk every day if we can."

"She should be checking any time now actually," Mr. McQuinn added.

Traci prepped herself to deliver the worst news a police officer could ever have to give. At least everybody was already sitting.

"Mr. and Mrs. McQuinn, Traci said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news…"

* * *

Back in the car and heading back to 15 Juliet called the morgue to let them know the McQuinn's were coming down to identify the body they previously knew as Tammy. Almost as soon as she got off the phone, Traci's phone mounted on the dash went off. It was the desk at 15. Juliet tapped accept and put it on speaker phone.

"Nash," Traci answered.

"Hey Seargent. Keller's advocate is here, and she wants to know what charges her client is being held on."

"Tell her I'm on my way back. Have her and her client set up in interview. I'll be back in about ten."

"Will do," the desk officer said, and Juliet sensing the conversation was over clicked the phone off. The rest of the ride back went by in silence.

The sun had completely set when they walked back into 15. A whole new platoon had taken over the station, Traci didn't know many of them that well, but they all seemed to know who she was. After all, she was in charge of a major unit within the Service.

They made their way to holding to talk with the holding officer about what interview room to go to. They wound up outside room four. But before going in, they stepped in the observation room and watched Nate Keller and his lawyer discussing something. He wasn't really looking at her and seemed to be mostly nodding and saying little. She was directing the conversation. To Traci, that usually meant the lawyer would try to answer everything for her client. Prepared for that Traci and Juliet moved from the observation room in the interview room, disrupting the defender in the middle of a thought.

"I'm sorry, did we interrupt? We can come back in a few minutes if that's better," Traci said, even though she had no intention of doing that. She knew the defender wouldn't bite on that.

"No, it fine. Detective Nash, I presume."

"Yes, and this is Officer Ward.

"Macey Nichols, public defenders office." They all acknowledged each other. "Look it's late," so let's cut to the chase, "Ms. Nichols offered. "Why are we here?"

"Well," Traci said, "we're here because you client refused to answer some rather simple question earlier and asked for a lawyer."

"Fair enough, but why do you want to talk to my client. From what I can see you haven't charged him with anything."

"I could if I wanted to. Start with the fleeing and evading. Maybe see what we turn up if we search the car you admit to driving or your room."

"You can't possibly-", Ms. Nichols began before Traci cut her off.

"But, I don't care about any of that if your client just talks about what he knows about Liam McQuinn and his whereabouts and actions today. Specifically, in relation to the shooting at the Eaton Centre."

"If Mr. Keller is to tell you what he knows about This Liam McQuinn and his potential involvement, then he leaves tonight, and you won't press any charges against him," Ms. Nichols said, clarifying for the record.

"Look, I'll be honest with you," Traci said. We have nothing to even remotely implicate Mr. Keller in the incident today. We only came to him because of the car being caught on camera at the scene and we know he wasn't driving it. If he had just answered the questions when I asked him earlier, none of us would be here wasting more time going through all of these hoops. I just want information your client has, Ms. Nichols. I have no desire to charge him with anything I could, and I don't care to pursue any investigation further into Mr. Keller to find anything else. So, if he cooperates and tells us what he knows then he can walk out of here tonight, just like us. But, like you said, it's late. We'd like to get this moving."

The defender turned to her client, "Tell them what they want to know."


	57. Chapter 57

"Mr. Keller," Traci began the line of questioning, "tell me how this morning unfolded in regard to Mr. McQuinn."

"What do you want to know about him?", Nathan Keller asked.

"How did he get the car today?", Juliet asked a little curtly, cutting to the chase.

"Well, he just kind of dropped by and asked to borrow it."

"And was that normal, something he did often?"

"No, not at all. My mom never really knew that I was letting him borrow it. Usually I'd leave the house too just to make it look like I had it." He was starting to open up now, so the two cops let him continue on his own. "He hadn't come by in a while, I think he got the sense he wasn't really welcome around the house. My mom didn't really trust him, and he knew it."

"So, he shows up today out of the blue for the first time in a while and askes to borrow the car and you let him do it no questions asked?", Juliet pressed.

Nate shook his head vigorously. "No, no of course not. He said he had to help his sister out today. That she was counting on him and that she'd really appreciate it if she knew I had helped him help her."

"Fiona, right?"

"Did he say specifically what he was helping her with?", asked Traci.

"No, and I didn't really ask that. Oh man. See, I've always had sort of a crush on Fiona. And Liam knew that. He knew which buttons to press to get me to help and I fell right into it."

"Fast forward a bit for me," Juliet requested. "When he returned the car, did he just bring it right back to the house?"

"Today he did because Mom was at book club, so I told him we could sneak it in. But usually we would meet around the block or something."

"And how did he seem when he dropped the car off? How was he acting?"

"I don't know, he was kind of rushing to get out of there. But we didn't want to get caught in case Mom came home early so that made sense."

"Did he say anything?"

"Not really. I asked him if everything worked out. He mumbled 'thanks' and said he had to get going."

"Do you have a way to get in contact with him? Phone, email, anything?", Juliet asked.

I have a number, but I don't know if its even active anymore. I haven't used it in a while."

"Could you share it with us?"

"Mr. Keller, hold on." His defender stopped him short saying anything. "Before my client cooperates further, I want to be certain that we have an understanding here. Mr. Keller in no way knowingly aided or abetted in any potential crime that may or may not have taken place."

"Ms. Nichols, as I said earlier," Traci began, "We have nothing that implicates your client and we're not really looking to go digging. We really just want his help. He may be the only on that can help us."

"Aiding and abetting? You think Liam was involved in the shooting?", Nathan asked.

"Honestly, we don't know but we have evidence to suggest that he was one of the last people to see the victim alive. So, we really need to talk to him, to at least rule him out."

"Liam's not a killer. He's a lot of things but not that. Anybody who knows him would tell you that. Hell, ask Fi. She'd tell you that and give him an alibi for today as well."

Juliet and Traci shared a look and agreed on telling Nate about Fiona. "Well, we can't talk to her. She was the shooting victim at the Eaton Centre today. She's dead."

* * *

It took several minutes and Juliet making a tissue run for Nate to compose himself again. That crush must have been something. "We're sorry to break the news this way to you but hopefully now you see why we need your help," Traci said,

Nate was still sniffling when he nodded, and Juliet handed his phone to him, still in a personal belongings bag. His hands were still shaking as he thumbed his way to his contacts and tapped up Liam's number. He slid the phone across the table, wordlessly.

Juliet scribbled down the number, it was a local one. She'd run a trace on it and see what comes up.

"When was the last time you used this number?", Juliet asked.

Nate took a deep breath and said, "A year maybe, give or take. But he's had the same number for as long as I've known him."

"Do you think he'd pick up if you called?", Traci asked.

"I don't know, maybe. I'll try." Nate reached for the phone, but Juliet stopped him. "Not yet. We need to set up a trace and go over what to say."

Nate understood and asked what's next.

* * *

First Juliet Traci processed his release from holding since he wasn't a suspect in anything and was now a cooperative witness. His defender left, and they went to meet Juliet in the Guns and Gangs office where she was setting up the trace equipment.

Meanwhile, Juliet bumped into Nick who was waiting at her desk.

"How long have you been here?", she asked. The office was completely empty except for them.

"Long enough," Nick said. Ready to go home?"

Juliet kissed him. Sorry. Not yet," she said when the kiss broke. "We may have a break in the Eaton Centre shooting and Nash and I are pushing it."

"Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Uhm, well, we were just getting ready to set up a trace for a phone call. We have a witness that had contact with the brother of the deceased woman before and after the shooting today. The brother is one of, if not the last, persons to see her alive."

And this witness is going to call him, and we'll trace the brother's location." Nick connected the dots.

"Right, Liam McQuinn. That's the brother. Has a record but nothing violent that we could see. Very broken relationship with his parents though. Nate our witness, was friends with Liam in school and Fiona, the vic, was a year or two behind them. Nate has a huge crush on her. We told him she's dead and that her brother may be the key to finding the killer. And Nate's the only one who can help us find Liam. So now he's helping."

"Understood, so do you guys have any trace equipment up here?"

Juliet pointed at a series of equipment containers and said, "Top one on the left."

Nick popped the lid and pulled out the needed devices just as Traci opened the office door and led Nate in.

"Nick, this is unexpected," Traci said upon noticing him."

"Yeh, he was up here waiting and wanted to help so I filled him in."

"The more the merrier," Traci smiled. "Nate, this is Officer Collins. One of our very best."

"Nice to meet you," Nate said and offered a hand.

Nick shook it, "Likewise."

"So, we discussed the basis of what to say on the way up," Traci said.

"Perfect, we'll just get this set up and be ready to go."

Within a couple of minutes, the trace devise was plugged in to the computer and ready to go. They also had a recorder out to make a copy of the conversation for the record. Juliet gave the thumbs up and said, "Whenever you're ready, Nate."

Nate swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and tapped the call button next to Liam's number and put it on speaker.

"Remember, just keep him talking," Nick said quickly and quietly.

It rang a couple of times, and then a couple of times more, and they were beginning to worry they'd get kicked off to voicemail but then a gravelly voice, that of a smoker's answered. "Who is it?"

"Liam, it's Nate."

"Listen man, now's not a good time." He sounded as if he'd been drinking for a while.

"I heard about Fi, I'm so sorry man."

"I can't talk about this right now."

"Of course, I understand."

Juliet motioned for him to keep the conversation going. And held up three fingers and then formed a zero with her hand to indicate she needed thirty more seconds.

"Just if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. I know your family and you aren't close, but I'm here for you."

"Yeah, thanks, Nate."

"Or if you ever want to get a drink," Nate said quickly smartly sensing that Liam was about to disconnect.

There was a pause of silence on Liam's end. Then a sigh and, "The pub. 30 minutes."

"Yeah, I'll be there."

The line clicked dead. Juliet didn't have an exact location, but had it narrowed down to a half-mile radius. "Where is this pub at that he mentioned?"

Nate gave them the name and the cross streets and Juliet plotted it on top of the trace radius. Sure enough, it popped up in the circle.

"So, he's nearby already."

"We have to hurry and get set up."

"Set up for what?" I'm just going to meet him for a drink. And you guys are there to grab him."

"It's not that easy, Nate," Traci said. "We don't have enough to make the case yet. We could arrest him, sure but that plays our hand and we'd lose. We need you to get him to tell you what really happened today. And we're going to need that recorded."

"Like a wire, no way. I'm not going to betray my friend in confidence like that. And besides, if he did what you seem to think he did, and he finds out I'm wearing a wire, I'm done."

"It won't come to that. We'll be right outside the whole time, and officer Collins here will be inside keeping an eye on you two."

Nick was caught a little off guard but rolled with it. "That's right. I got your back."

"Nate, I understand your apprehension, believe me," Traci said. "But this is the best way to get justice for Fiona."

"Okay, fine. For Fi."

"Great," Juliet said. Get down there now. I'll send you a picture of Liam. Let me know as soon as you have eyes on him. We'll get wired up and be there in 20.

"Yep," and Nick was out the door.

* * *

Nick pushed through the doors into a typical style, old-building storefront, Irish pub. A good thing was it was on the smaller side which made determining that Liam wasn't there yet much easier. Nick ordered a beer for appearances and sat himself at a table near the back with his back to the wall, giving him a clear view of the entrance and everyone else in the bar.

He sent a text to Juliet saying he was in position and there was no sign of Liam yet. He brushed off some interest form some ladies concerned he was drinking alone and waited and waited. Liam never showed up and Juliet called him.

"Still not there?", she asked.

"Nothing," Nick said.

"Okay, we're dropping Nate off now a couple blocks away and then we'll circle around the other way and park down the street. He's going to grab a seat at the bar. Keep us posted."

Nick waited another minute and Nate walked in. He looked at Nick who looked down at his drink, breaking the eye contact. It wouldn't do to let anyone think they knew each other right now.

Nick watched him sit down and order a drink out of the corner of his eye. Nate was a couple of sips in and when he pulled out his phone. He was reading something then called the bartender over and showed her the phone. She nodded and then used him around the bar and opened the back door and shut it behind Nate.

Nick quickly, but calmly pulled out his phone and explained what happened. "Are you getting anything on the wire?"

"No, just static, some sort of interference, maybe."

"Or he's been compromised."

"Nick get around back, see what you see. Maybe he got to a different floor, Juliet instructed."

"Yeah." Nick stood up and walked out and down the block to the alley and cut between the buildings. Approaching the back door of the bar, he saw something odd lying on the ground.

"Hey, what type of device was the wire?"

"It was a digital watch."

"Well, at least now we know why the wire's out." Nick picked it up. "I found it, it's been smashed." Nick looked up and down the alley, saw nothing. "Guy's, Nate's gone."


End file.
